276 replies to this topic

[DPR]

in recent years Simon Fuller has seen his personal fortune top $560m, while ron dennis has seen his drop to less then $300m.
Macca wasted over a billion dollars developing a "supercar" that Simon Fullers clients should be buying.........but in truth, they'd all rather buy a ferrari.
That's the real reason why Macca cannot offer more.....not because their sponsorship revenue is down by 2%, but because they almost went bust trying to become a british Ferrari (ironically...Ferari needed bailing out by Fiat, and Macca could have been bailed out by Merc, but uncle Ron has this strange vision in his head). This at the same time as Merc bucked the global downward trend to post their highest profits ever.
I would say the momentum is clearly with Simon Fuller............so for that reason alone, Lewis should become Mr Fuller's best buddy, and hopefully his best earner.
FFS.......Lewis is a fast, black WDC with a pussycat gf..........he should already be worth more than his manager.

[BradSpeedMan]

 DPR, on 26 September 2012 - 02:33 PM, said:

in recent years Simon Fuller has seen his personal fortune top $560m, while ron dennis has seen his drop to less then $300m.
Macca wasted over a billion dollars developing a "supercar" that Simon Fullers clients should be buying.........but in truth, they'd all rather buy a ferrari.
That's the real reason why Macca cannot offer more.....not because their sponsorship revenue is down by 2%, but because they almost went bust trying to become a british Ferrari (ironically...Ferari needed bailing out by Fiat, and Macca could have been bailed out by Merc, but uncle Ron has this strange vision in his head). This at the same time as Merc bucked the global downward trend to post their highest profits ever.
I would say the momentum is clearly with Simon Fuller............so for that reason alone, Lewis should become Mr Fuller's best buddy, and hopefully his best earner.
FFS.......Lewis is a fast, black WDC with a pussycat gf..........he should already be worth more than his manager.

now u talkin!

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer]

 Massa, on 25 September 2012 - 11:42 PM, said:

If Ferrari offered $20,000,000 to be Alonso's clear-cut number two and McLaren offered me $19,999,999 to be their clear-cut leader, I'd sign with Ferrari.  

Why?

[Quiet One]

 Grabthaw the Hammerslayer, on 26 September 2012 - 07:44 PM, said:

Why?

He is Massa.

[Massa]

 Grabthaw the Hammerslayer, on 26 September 2012 - 07:44 PM, said:

Why?

Two reasons.

1. I know I am making $1 every year that would only be conditional at McLaren on endorsements, which would be conditional on me being both a good driver and not being a jerk.  I am both a bad driver and a jerk.  No one would want me to represent them.

2. I have to do less to keep my contract at Ferrari to keep making that $20,000,000 over and over again.  If I don't win the championship at McLaren, my contract will soon disappear.  A number two has lower expectations in general, but using Felipe as the standard, they have zero expectations at Ferrari.

But I guess Lewis Hamilton is a good driver and isn't a jerk, so #1 doesn't apply.  And I guess Lewis Hamilton probably likes winning races even if I think he should like money more, so #2 probably doesn't apply as much as it would for me...

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer]

I suppose Eric it is fair to say I always saw you as a "number 2"

(you walked right into that one buddy!!! ) I like writing this small, by the way as it really strains Andres' overly self-abused eyes

OK, except for one small point.....

If you are number 1 in McLaren you stand a chance of winning a world championship, nicking another driver's hot girlfriend, signing a multi-gazillion deal with a watch-maker, buying a private jet and then moving to Ferrari as a number one driver.... win another championship, buy a villa in Ecuador, Romania, India and California (as the first letters of the countries would spell your name), shag Tamara Ecclestone, then go on a losing streak, take three years out having wild parties and re-enter F1 in a blaze of glory as number one driver in the General VolkShubisi Team (car manufacturer who enters F1 thinking they will be winners in two seasons). Drive there for 3 years never getting higher than 5th, blaming the tyres and ignoring the performance of your faster, younger team mate ("...ah, but my skill is in car development..."), stay on two years too long, then retire in a huge fuss. Only to be brought back in as a team adviser to Mercedes....

Or, you can be Massa and be remembered as number 2 driver who was occasionally allowed to win races and almost won the championship. once...

[dribbler]

I have been thinking this morning aobut a couple of things;

1. How Hamilton not signing one way or the other has had so many people criticising his integrity, judgement, aspirations and everything else. If it were you or I quietly trying to decide whether to change dental practioners after having used one for many years, we would surely decide it's our right to take as long as we want. We may also make the point that it doesn't mean we are necessarily dispondent with our old dentist, merely that it is good practice to weigh up all options available to us.

2. On the flip side, Michael Schumacher's devotion to the cause between 1996-2000 was an example of how to show total team unity when there are desperate situations going on all around you. You might suggest that Alonso has acted the same way since joing Ferrari too. Their respective patience was surely boosted by having already demonstrated to the world their credentials from former glories. Hamilton has this too and he also has the benefit of seeing an upward trend in car performance, surely taking him to his ultimate goal; another title. Teams make mistakes and McLaren have made their share this year, but then so has he. He would do well right now to be patient. Or maybe we saw this in singapore already?......

[LabradoRacer]

Apparently, the Lewis saga will end tomorrow. Going by Ross Brawn's statement about Mercedes having to make a difficult decision about Schumi...sigh.

I'm off to pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster to allow Schumi to keep racing in 2013.

[DPR]

 LabradoRacer, on 27 September 2012 - 07:06 PM, said:

Apparently, the Lewis saga will end tomorrow. Going by Ross Brawn's statement about Mercedes having to make a difficult decision about Schumi...sigh.

I'm off to pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster to allow Schumi to keep racing in 2013.

Surely, the only DIFFICULT decision is letting schumi go......it would be an EASY decision to re-sign him. He's still better than most on the grid, and is only financially less attractive than Alonso and mmmmmmmmmm Lewis. I'll actually miss the old git. All I can say is........Lewis had better drive the wheels off that Merc next year.

[DPR]

Am I also correct in thinking that Kimi's option (to move on favorable terms) expires on the 30th Sept. and now Macca have showed the world (and Kimi's money grabbing management) just how much they have to spend on a driver ..............doh!
Fact...........they'll need a top drawer name to replace Lewis and keep their sponsors appeased. (and the only names that could compare for global popularity are Kimi and Schumi.........no offence, but Jens is just boring)
Of course this is all just coincidence............isn't it?

[Quiet One]

Schumi won't die. He will be taken alive by the light of Ross Brawn to sit at His Right Hand.

That, if Lewis actually moves to Merc. I'd rather get rid of Rosberg, the Anonymous, they sucked all his blood dry, but age matters, I guess. And the mechanics at Merc will feel happier knowing that they won't have to waste anymore crazy glue every other weekend when Michael comes back walking with nothing but a helmet in his arm, a sad smile and a "sorry guys".

[Massa]

It doesn't feel right for Schumacher's career to end like this.  I hope he wins another race.

[Insider]

I think Brawn is clearing the way for a Lewis signing by saying Mercedes and Schumacher face a hard decision over their respective futures.  At this stage of the game, we've reached a point where Mercedes clearly need LH and LH still clearly needs McLaren. I think he may have to part company with Fuller and XIX if he stays at Woking because that will leave them without the tools to enhance his career and they become surplus to his requirements. I'm pretty sure he's going to go for the money. He's a great driver but still a little too immature to make the smart play, [IMO] and go for glory.

[DPR]

This is the reason why Lewis MUST take the cash and go to Merc. because even if he matches Scumi's achievements over the coming years, one day he'll be booted out to make way for some quick kid. Pro sport is harsh.........make and take what you can, while you can!

[Quiet One]

 Insider, on 27 September 2012 - 09:42 PM, said:

I think Brawn is clearing the way for a Lewis signing by saying Mercedes and Schumacher face a hard decision over their respective futures.  At this stage of the game, we've reached a point where Mercedes clearly need LH and LH still clearly needs McLaren. I think he may have to part company with Fuller and XIX if he stays at Woking because that will leave them without the tools to enhance his career and they become surplus to his requirements. I'm pretty sure he's going to go for the money. He's a great driver but still a little too immature to make the smart play, [IMO] and go for glory.

But the fact is he CHOSE XIX and Fuller. If he wanted the glory in F1 he would have gone after some serious F1 manager. Geez, even Flabbio would have been a smarter choice for someone purely in pursuit of making money and glory in F1.

He wants more than that. And McLaren can give him perhaps a championship but nothing else. And it isn't as if we are talking about the most successful team despite how menacing they always seem. This century they achieved how many WDCs and WCCs? Just 1 WDC and that was by a meager 1 point at the last corner against...Massa *cough cough* And it was Lewis who gave it to them.

Not sure Merc can do worse than that, at least they have the excuse of a weaker car, and in any case for someone who seems to enjoy being a teen idol quite as much as being a racer, I think Merc offers him a lot more than the spartan Woking team.

[Insider]

It seems clear from the press in general this morning that Lewis will join Mercedes next year in a $100m deal. Who will replace him? My guess would be Di Resta, Kimi or Perez though I would probably bring Magnussen on with Blomqvist as reserve. At 31, Gary Paffett can count himself as unlucky, having lived in Lewis's shadow for so long. Whoever it is, it will take them a year to find their feet but there is no doubt in my mind that Jenson will relish the challenge of leading the team and step up his game accordingly. McLaren need to give him the car to win in and regain their mojo on the reliability and strategy fronts to boot. After all, would he have moved without the shockers the team had on the wall and in the pits this year? Despite the mathematical connotations, expect Woking to throw everything behind JB now to shove him up the WDC rankings. Lewis takes his numbers with him and Ron won't be relishing that prospect at all. In fact, I dare say he's nothing short of livid!

[Insider]

It would appear Macca have signed Perez as I was tapping away.

[pabloh20]

 Insider, on 28 September 2012 - 09:52 AM, said:

It seems clear from the press in general this morning that Lewis will join Mercedes next year in a $100m deal. Who will replace him? My guess would be Di Resta, Kimi or Perez though I would probably bring Magnussen on with Blomqvist as reserve. At 31, Gary Paffett can count himself as unlucky, having lived in Lewis's shadow for so long. Whoever it is, it will take them a year to find their feet but there is no doubt in my mind that Jenson will relish the challenge of leading the team and step up his game accordingly. McLaren need to give him the car to win in and regain their mojo on the reliability and strategy fronts to boot. After all, would he have moved without the shockers the team had on the wall and in the pits this year? Despite the mathematical connotations, expect Woking to throw everything behind JB now to shove him up the WDC rankings. Lewis takes his numbers with him and Ron won't be relishing that prospect at all. In fact, I dare say he's nothing short of livid!

Unless they can shove JB all the way up to winning, then I don't think they are that bothered about the driver's standings at all.  I suppose they may want JB to be above Lewis as a little 'told you so', but no more than that.  They will still do all they can to get the constructor's title, though and to that end, they are not going to hamper Lewis.  If Lewis were to get the driver's title because of that, then it would be a necessary evil to them, I would imagine.

[Quiet One]

One thing is certain: McLaren will save a ton on tires next year

[AleHop]

I just heard the news, it'll feel strange at first but it means Mercedes will stay in F1 so it's good news. Perez to McLaren is a surprise too but he's a good young driver and Telmex is a good asset too.

[pabloh20]

 Quiet One, on 28 September 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

One thing is certain: McLaren will save a ton on tires next year

Indeed

[Quiet One]

 AleHop, on 28 September 2012 - 12:07 PM, said:

I just heard the news, it'll feel strange at first but it means Mercedes will stay in F1 so it's good news. Perez to McLaren is a surprise too but he's a good young driver and Telmex is a good asset too.

Telmex and Vodafone? I think there will be a lot of behind the scene negotiations to set boundaries between those two.
I am hoping for a 2007 all over again, but replacing Lewis and Alonso by Jenson and Sergio...Somehow I don't think Hungary 2013 will be as entertaining....

[AleHop]

 Quiet One, on 28 September 2012 - 01:00 PM, said:

Telmex and Vodafone? I think there will be a lot of behind the scene negotiations to set boundaries between those two.
I am hoping for a 2007 all over again, but replacing Lewis and Alonso by Jenson and Sergio...Somehow I don't think Hungary 2013 will be as entertaining....

If rumours are true Telmex is going to spend 30 M$ sponsoring Perez/McLaren.

[Quiet One]

I can only imagine the 3 mile smile on Rubinho's face watching Schumi being unceremoniously pushed aside...

"Hey, Mikey, now you know!"

[freaky2]

I'm glad that Perez got the seat! Finally after, how many? years of speculation we got a move in the big teams and a worthy driver was selected for a top team. New blood vs Button, it's bound to be fun

About the tires, I guess we'll see if it was Sergio or the Sauber saving them xD

[LabradoRacer]

 561860_365373543543980_2072039279_n.jpg   31.56K   10 downloads

Edited by LabradoRacer, 28 September 2012 - 03:46 PM.

[LabradoRacer]

I don't really understand those who say Lewis betrayed McLaren. We change jobs, countries, partners for our benefit; get over it.

[Peeweev]

 Peeweev, on 16 September 2012 - 07:48 AM, said:

ps i think its time for Schummy to recieve this   even if its not hammi who comes there

 Peeweev, on 17 September 2012 - 06:15 AM, said:

Perez and hammi swap?

SO i was almost right (one i was and half on the other = almost)

makes a first

[Insider]

 pabloh20, on 28 September 2012 - 11:36 AM, said:

Unless they can shove JB all the way up to winning, then I don't think they are that bothered about the driver's standings at all.  I suppose they may want JB to be above Lewis as a little 'told you so', but no more than that.  They will still do all they can to get the constructor's title, though and to that end, they are not going to hamper Lewis.  If Lewis were to get the driver's title because of that, then it would be a necessary evil to them, I would imagine.

You'd be surprised how petty F1 teams can be.  Though they will never admit it, they'll be aggrieved about this development.

[BradSpeedMan]

 Insider, on 11 September 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

My personal feelings are that Lewis will go to Mercedes with Michael taking up another team role. This will put Di Resta, the Hulk, Perez, Kimi and even Massa in line for his seat at Macca.

U should tell us more about your personal feelings....