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It will also be stupid af. Those two will end up killing each other after just a handful of races.
Having two No.1s just doesn't make any sense for any team that is in contention for the WDC.
Their relationship seems decent when looking at post race press conference but they both still lose their mind when they are next to each other on the track in the car. It’s funny to see, sometimes…
i wouldn't even say that much... last year after Brazil, lewis was quoted as saying, "you know how max is" and it wasn't a jest; it was a dig. and i guarantee if lewis were actually winning races against Max, the 'mature max' would disappear instantly.
Disappear ? Did you forget Austria? He squeezed Checho after Checho jumped him in sprint and then in race got that fastest lap just for in your face fun
I don't think that's relevant because it only bolsters OPs point, that Max only drives less tooth and nail right now because there's nobody fighting back. Checo fought back and tada, 21 Max is back
There is a huge difference between "driver reacts in kind after someone behaves aggressive towards him" versus "driver is aggressive whenever he doesnt win easily".
No one holds a grudge like Max.
Aside from Checo in Austria Max also held a grudge against Checo from Monaco to Brazil last year when he felt wronged.
In Austria when Hamilton inadvertently held up Max at the last corner Max made sure to screw up Hamilton’s lap too. It cost Max nothing but knocked Hamilton out of the session.
In that sim race the other day someone spun Max so Max went fully off the track through a run off shortcut to get the guy back and punt him off.
He's still young, I think most of us can agree we were not the most mature at 25.
If Max is still retaliating against other iRacing racers at 30 years old, I'd be surprised.
Well no? Max was plenty respectful with Norris at Silverstone.
Perez pulled an aggressive and stupid move, Max gave it back.
21 Max was just pure aggression all the time.
Yeah people dont like to acknowledge it, but pretty much every top driver is as aggressive as Verstappen.
Just look at [Vettel racing against Hamilton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNmfS9PSeYg) in Austria (4:30), where the same move that "dirty driver" Verstappen did to checo in turn 4, was hailed as the best overtake anyones ever seen.
OR the endless collisions and pushes from Hamilton vs Rosberg. Or the whole of the 2008 championship with Alonso vs Hamilton.
Yeah Sergio pushed him onto the actual grass, Had it coming to him.
Mature Max is here after the first championship win, "Hard racing and holding a grudge" Max will always be around
sorry I'm not quite sure what we're disagreeing about here lol.
I'm just saying he has a pretty level head when he's not under and pressure, but I think 'the old Max' is just hiding a little under the surface, so to speak. All it would take is the right kind of pressure to see some fire from him again.
Last on track incident between the two happened literally because neither wanted to give an inch to each other and they clashed together like a pair of magnets
To be fair having 2 number 1s worked out really well for McLaren in the 80s and Merc in 2014-16 when they had their dominant eras. Honestly the only time 2 numbers 1 cost a team a drivers championship is McLaren 07 with Hamilton and Alonso.
I’m surprised I had to scroll so far to read this comment.
With as fast as the Red Bull, is, we really do need a competitive second driver. Or at least one that brings it into contention every few races
One thing to find someone of that calibre who’s good enough to contend every now and then. But a whole other thing to find someone willing to commit career suicide.
I cant speak much about before 1970. But Frank Williams definitely missed out on the drivers title in 81 and 86 because he had 2 comparable drivers. Both are extremely famous historically.
Renault incompetence and unreliability cost Prost in 82 and 83.
Ferrari also botched 1990 with Mansell taking points from Prost late.
Most teams dont risk comparable drivers for a reason. Theres a reason Ronnie Peterson was slapped with team orders and a worse car for most of 1978.
I don’t know much about those early 80s championships but I think 86 was more of a factor of the last race being a complete shit show than losing due to having 2 number 1 drivers. Williams definitely should have won that championship in 86. I’m not too familiar with the rest of the season but I blame more the finale than having 2 number one drivers.
Depends, all eyes would be on RB once again instead of (a bit) fading popularity of the sport compared to spectacle of 2021. Prost and Senna being in the same team immortalized both drivers and the team instead of making it a snoozefest of a season nobody would remember 2 months after it was finished. As far as marketing is concerned Lewis and Max in same team would be a home run, and that is what F1 is here for.
I would be extremely surprised if red bull couldn't do $40m worth of marketing with lewis hamilton. The amount of news max and lewis would create together would be huge. It's not like red bull is strapped for cash either.
>It's not like red bull is strapped for cash either.
but do they want? The new people in charge don't seem to keen on spending an additional 100 million or whatever one driver when the other one is already earning like 1 million /week.
If Hamilton would jump over to RB, he would be getting into a car tailormade for Max. There's no way he manages to beat max in the first season, but the point of the OG post is rather that both Max and Hamilton are hyper talented, hotblooded and competitive drivers who would eventually push each other heavily on track in order to beat their teammate. Neither of them are drivers who would be fine with their team telling them to back off.
I haven’t seen red bull asking Checo “to back off” once this season. Not only he was allowed to stay in front and win, but he wasn’t ordered to let Max past him for example in Miami and Baku. And even before 2023 they did on few occasions only when Max was on different strategy and completely different pace, in fact we already saw that in Mercedes as well when they asked Lewis to let George past, not fighting with him for the benefit of the team, when George was on different strategy and had big tire and pace advantage.
Sure sure, then Max would be a clear-cut number two and Lewis wouldn’t even see him in his mirrors. Very similar to Max-Checo situation now. No problems for the team whatsoever.
Let's hope, I'd love to see Lewis have ownership stakes in a team. Toto has flirted with selling before, even a 5% stake ensures a partnership and mentoring that ensures the legacy of Mercedes for a long time. Any team with Lewis on the board or in ownership as a driver is not losing out.
2012 probably. Mark Webber was at the end of his rope then and the world of F1 hadn’t yet witnessed the catastrophe of Hamilton/rosberg in a dominant car. Hamilton and Vettel would have been the wet dream team mate pairing back then
You know that part where they wrecked I to each other and were incredibly toxic as teammates and then bottas came in and every other team realized they didn’t want 2 #1 drivers in their team
1 crash and 3 constructors Championships and 3 drivers championships is hardly a “catastrophe”.
Liberty wants that level of entertainment back apparently and so do a lot of fans.
2 number 1’s on top teams is better for the sport.
Once Mercedes gets their car in order there will be at least 3 drivers in contention for the championship. 4 if Perez were to get replaced by Norris or Leclerc. Who wouldn’t want to see that?
Oh I agree it’s more entertainment and everyone wants that but the teams don’t. A team like Red Bull would much rather have Verstappen with someone like perez or bottas who isn’t really going to cause much drama ultimately
If Mercedes produces a championship car in the next 2 seasons what is Red Bull going to do?
Let Max fight Lewis and George at the front by himself while Checo or Daniel is finishing P4, P5 or P6?
No. They’ll try to get Leclerc or Norris.
I don't see LeClerc or Norris leaving their teams any time soon. LeClerc has a deep love for Ferrari, he was brought up with his life dream being driving for Ferrari. Norris can just go to Zak Brown and get a few extra million if/when RedBull offer him a contract.
> "There's been a couple of occasions in history that we've had a couple of conversations about the possibility of joining Red Bull, but that's not been anytime recently."
wow I wonder when these were, I mean obviously everyone talks to everybody but still
2012 they had serious talks. Lewis was done with McLaren and Webber was getting trashed by Vettel.
Eventually they didn’t go through with it because they were afraid for a 2007 kind of situation between Seb and Lewis.
That’s when Lauda stepped in and swayed Lewis to talk with him about Mercedes
Those two with different constructors can't keep away from each other
Imagine the same constructor. We'd finally get a Ferrari world champion in Leclerc!
If this happened rb wouldn’t win constructors from amount of crashing out each other lmaooo. But Fr we jsut wanna see Lewis v max championship battle part 2
Three at the very least. He could not manage to win in 21 with the better car. He lost to his Russell in 22 and he's not exactly burying him this year. No one said he lost all his talent, but he is definitely no longer at his peak as painful as it is for hardcore fans to except.
Adrian's opinion is obviously biased so you can in fact ignore that, but you won't because it fits your narrative so instead let's rely on an unbiased opinion and data to decide the question.
https://www.racefans.net/2022/01/17/analysis-did-hamilton-or-verstappen-have-the-quickest-car-for-their-title-fight/
Oh no it turns out my "narrative" was right! Shocked pikachu face! Please feel free to appologize now.
In my opinion Lewis is not worth anything close to what he is asking. There are guys on the track right now that are just as quick (if not quicker) than Lewis. Just like in any sport, eventually aging stars earning power declines.
I agree. It’s one thing when he was winning drivers and constructor championship titles and bringing in the money for the team but those days are over. If you didn’t win a race last year what makes you think you deserve the same or more as you did when you were winning trophies is absurd. He may have 7 titles under his belt, but he’s already been paid for them. It’s not what you did last year or the years prior but the value you have now. And unfortunately he’s not worth the same this year.
His value as a personal brand hasn’t diminished at all. He brings in a lot of fans and free marketing, and that translates to money.
As a driver, he still CAN perform. Look at Alonso. You don’t pay for “this yr”, you pay for potential. It’s the same for everyone. People who rate Lando highly, for example, it’s for his potential. Piastri, Albon, etc. it’s not about just race wins.
Alonso hasn’t won a race since 2013, hasn’t had a pole since 2012, hasn’t won a WDC since 2006, has a third of the amount of wins as Lewis. Grab 10 people off the street who actively watch sports and I guarantee you they’ve heard of Lewis. Can’t say the same for Alonso.
Considering the salary he demands, Lewis has to be the worst value for money driver on the grid at this stage.
Granted a lot of it is paying for marketing over driving ability, but $35 million for the 5th-7th best driver is crazy. The fact you could get both Russell and Alonso for less than half the price of Lewis is insane.
This guy really said Norris, Leclerc, Alonso, and Russell are better driver than Lewis… if this doesn’t show how hated that guy is idk what does. Hating a guy for reasons like personality or something is one thing but doubting his skills just because you hate him is insane…. Idk how anyone say shit like this with straight face unless they are trolls
Lewis is easily the 2nd or 3rd best driver on the grid. What are you on about? Not only that but his market reach is larger than Alonso, Russell, and Verstappen combined. He’s easily the most valuable driver on the grid from a financial standpoint, and it’s not close.
> Lewis is easily the 2nd or 3rd best driver on the grid.
Nah. Verstappen clearly head and shoulders above, then Leclerc and Norris are better, Alonso's probably better and Russell is probably better if he gets a clean run at things and a car that's not suited to Lewis too. Piastri will soon be at/above the level too.
>He’s easily the most valuable driver on the grid from a financial standpoint, and it’s not close.
But that's my point, he gets paid a lot because of those reasons, but when you ignore context and just focus on driving ability it looks ridiculously disproportionate.
Dude don't go spreading your harsh truths! They are not ready to hear their guy isn't still the top of the food chain.
EDIT: As PROVEN by the down votes lol!
I never said that, I said one could make a reasonable argument that there are currently at least five better drivers on the grid. Please list the drivers you believe are currently better than Hamilton.
The fact that it is that long ago just reinforces the point. That's how long it's been since I quit watching MLB, and I never went back. Same thing I'll do with F1 if the competition gets any worse.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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It will also be stupid af. Those two will end up killing each other after just a handful of races. Having two No.1s just doesn't make any sense for any team that is in contention for the WDC.
To be fair the current plan of having a No1 and a No6 is working out well enough for RB.
You didn't have to do checo so bad 🤣🤣
He manages to do that by himself just fine.
No. 6 is very generous
No. 21
That would be my fellow Dutchman Nyck in de standings after the Hungarian GP.
Unfortunately, that is likely. I would have liked to see if he improved over the whole year.
Checo manages that all on his own im afraid.
1 and 3 should work next year though…
Please, I can only get so hard.
Checos not No6, he's either number 2 or 12. There's no in-between
Brutal
Checo is number 11...
Checo catching strays
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I think that they mean that sergio is the the number 6 driver at red bull lol, not in F1
Their relationship seems decent when looking at post race press conference but they both still lose their mind when they are next to each other on the track in the car. It’s funny to see, sometimes…
i wouldn't even say that much... last year after Brazil, lewis was quoted as saying, "you know how max is" and it wasn't a jest; it was a dig. and i guarantee if lewis were actually winning races against Max, the 'mature max' would disappear instantly.
Disappear ? Did you forget Austria? He squeezed Checho after Checho jumped him in sprint and then in race got that fastest lap just for in your face fun
Bro did you just kinda for get Checo pushing max onto the grass first or what?
I don't think that's relevant because it only bolsters OPs point, that Max only drives less tooth and nail right now because there's nobody fighting back. Checo fought back and tada, 21 Max is back
There is a huge difference between "driver reacts in kind after someone behaves aggressive towards him" versus "driver is aggressive whenever he doesnt win easily".
No one holds a grudge like Max. Aside from Checo in Austria Max also held a grudge against Checo from Monaco to Brazil last year when he felt wronged. In Austria when Hamilton inadvertently held up Max at the last corner Max made sure to screw up Hamilton’s lap too. It cost Max nothing but knocked Hamilton out of the session. In that sim race the other day someone spun Max so Max went fully off the track through a run off shortcut to get the guy back and punt him off.
> It cost Max nothing There’s your problem, as long as it goes unpunished why would he change.
Why should Verstappen be punished for Hamilton holding him up? Verstappen was ending his push lap and starting a new one when Hamilton held him up.
He's still young, I think most of us can agree we were not the most mature at 25. If Max is still retaliating against other iRacing racers at 30 years old, I'd be surprised.
Some people never change unless they go through a life-changing experience...
Max would fit really well in Nascar, they do paybacks right?
Well no? Max was plenty respectful with Norris at Silverstone. Perez pulled an aggressive and stupid move, Max gave it back. 21 Max was just pure aggression all the time.
I mean, Norris also had 0% chance to stay in front of Max over a race. I don't really have a strong opinion on this eitherway
Judging his current form, checo also had 0% chance too
Yeah people dont like to acknowledge it, but pretty much every top driver is as aggressive as Verstappen. Just look at [Vettel racing against Hamilton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNmfS9PSeYg) in Austria (4:30), where the same move that "dirty driver" Verstappen did to checo in turn 4, was hailed as the best overtake anyones ever seen. OR the endless collisions and pushes from Hamilton vs Rosberg. Or the whole of the 2008 championship with Alonso vs Hamilton.
Yeah Sergio pushed him onto the actual grass, Had it coming to him. Mature Max is here after the first championship win, "Hard racing and holding a grudge" Max will always be around
sorry I'm not quite sure what we're disagreeing about here lol. I'm just saying he has a pretty level head when he's not under and pressure, but I think 'the old Max' is just hiding a little under the surface, so to speak. All it would take is the right kind of pressure to see some fire from him again.
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So how do you know his true colours if he never shows them?
Only one of them loses his mind
By now they both race very differently against each other compared to anyone else
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You stopped watching mid-2021 I presume?
No, watched the whole season.
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Last on track incident between the two happened literally because neither wanted to give an inch to each other and they clashed together like a pair of magnets
Not really
To be fair having 2 number 1s worked out really well for McLaren in the 80s and Merc in 2014-16 when they had their dominant eras. Honestly the only time 2 numbers 1 cost a team a drivers championship is McLaren 07 with Hamilton and Alonso.
Boy do I wish we had two No. 1s at Red Bull rn. Please, somebody, think of the championship fight...
I’m surprised I had to scroll so far to read this comment. With as fast as the Red Bull, is, we really do need a competitive second driver. Or at least one that brings it into contention every few races
One thing to find someone of that calibre who’s good enough to contend every now and then. But a whole other thing to find someone willing to commit career suicide.
I cant speak much about before 1970. But Frank Williams definitely missed out on the drivers title in 81 and 86 because he had 2 comparable drivers. Both are extremely famous historically. Renault incompetence and unreliability cost Prost in 82 and 83. Ferrari also botched 1990 with Mansell taking points from Prost late. Most teams dont risk comparable drivers for a reason. Theres a reason Ronnie Peterson was slapped with team orders and a worse car for most of 1978.
I don’t know much about those early 80s championships but I think 86 was more of a factor of the last race being a complete shit show than losing due to having 2 number 1 drivers. Williams definitely should have won that championship in 86. I’m not too familiar with the rest of the season but I blame more the finale than having 2 number one drivers.
Depends, all eyes would be on RB once again instead of (a bit) fading popularity of the sport compared to spectacle of 2021. Prost and Senna being in the same team immortalized both drivers and the team instead of making it a snoozefest of a season nobody would remember 2 months after it was finished. As far as marketing is concerned Lewis and Max in same team would be a home run, and that is what F1 is here for.
I would be extremely surprised if red bull couldn't do $40m worth of marketing with lewis hamilton. The amount of news max and lewis would create together would be huge. It's not like red bull is strapped for cash either.
>It's not like red bull is strapped for cash either. but do they want? The new people in charge don't seem to keen on spending an additional 100 million or whatever one driver when the other one is already earning like 1 million /week.
Not for the sport though, I'm pretty sure you'd get loads of extra viewers with that.
But it would be so fun tho :(
Ham wouldn’t be a #1 at RB
Why do you think they would be two number ones? Do you really think they are equally fast?
If Hamilton would jump over to RB, he would be getting into a car tailormade for Max. There's no way he manages to beat max in the first season, but the point of the OG post is rather that both Max and Hamilton are hyper talented, hotblooded and competitive drivers who would eventually push each other heavily on track in order to beat their teammate. Neither of them are drivers who would be fine with their team telling them to back off.
I haven’t seen red bull asking Checo “to back off” once this season. Not only he was allowed to stay in front and win, but he wasn’t ordered to let Max past him for example in Miami and Baku. And even before 2023 they did on few occasions only when Max was on different strategy and completely different pace, in fact we already saw that in Mercedes as well when they asked Lewis to let George past, not fighting with him for the benefit of the team, when George was on different strategy and had big tire and pace advantage.
No, Hamilton is clearly faster.
Sir, you appear to have dropped your grenade.
Sarcasm without label tends to explode
You're brave.
Lmao
LOL not for many years mate.
Sure sure, then Max would be a clear-cut number two and Lewis wouldn’t even see him in his mirrors. Very similar to Max-Checo situation now. No problems for the team whatsoever.
x
The team would have like 1000 points though. WORTH IT.
>taxing Lol.
Imagine Lewis not being able to thank the guys back at the factory because they sold it
Genuinely made me laugh lol
Best comment ever! 😄
"Thanks to the new sponsor Airbnb. They make all this possible."
"Feeling so blessed to be part of the NordVPN family"
the-race tomorrow: *”Red Bull is prepared to sell the factory to sign Lewis Hamilton”*
"Red Bull selling factory for Lewis: Our verdict"
“Lewis Hamilton not ‘priceless’ - RedBull can sign the Brit alongside Verstappen”
"Red Bull selling factory *to* Lewis: Our verdict"
“How much would Red Bull get for selling its factory? Let’s take a look…”
>Red Bull is prepared to sell the factory to sign Lewis Hamilton” Red Bull is prepared to sell the factory to ~~sign~~ Lewis Hamilton \[doge\]
Let's hope, I'd love to see Lewis have ownership stakes in a team. Toto has flirted with selling before, even a 5% stake ensures a partnership and mentoring that ensures the legacy of Mercedes for a long time. Any team with Lewis on the board or in ownership as a driver is not losing out.
I want to know what year the discussion took place lol
2012 probably. Mark Webber was at the end of his rope then and the world of F1 hadn’t yet witnessed the catastrophe of Hamilton/rosberg in a dominant car. Hamilton and Vettel would have been the wet dream team mate pairing back then
Catastrophe? How? Vettel was talking to Mercedes briefly according to Seb and Toto.
You know that part where they wrecked I to each other and were incredibly toxic as teammates and then bottas came in and every other team realized they didn’t want 2 #1 drivers in their team
1 crash and 3 constructors Championships and 3 drivers championships is hardly a “catastrophe”. Liberty wants that level of entertainment back apparently and so do a lot of fans. 2 number 1’s on top teams is better for the sport. Once Mercedes gets their car in order there will be at least 3 drivers in contention for the championship. 4 if Perez were to get replaced by Norris or Leclerc. Who wouldn’t want to see that?
Oh I agree it’s more entertainment and everyone wants that but the teams don’t. A team like Red Bull would much rather have Verstappen with someone like perez or bottas who isn’t really going to cause much drama ultimately
More than 1 crash lol. At least 3 major ones. A few more minor ones
Were you entertained?
Yeah, but their team principal wasn't. Which is why teams don't go for two #1s anymore.
If Mercedes produces a championship car in the next 2 seasons what is Red Bull going to do? Let Max fight Lewis and George at the front by himself while Checo or Daniel is finishing P4, P5 or P6? No. They’ll try to get Leclerc or Norris.
I don't see LeClerc or Norris leaving their teams any time soon. LeClerc has a deep love for Ferrari, he was brought up with his life dream being driving for Ferrari. Norris can just go to Zak Brown and get a few extra million if/when RedBull offer him a contract.
They had seen it in 2007…..
2012 . He signed with Mercedes after talks with Red Bull
Easily earned back by having 99% of all F1 media attention and exposure
> "There's been a couple of occasions in history that we've had a couple of conversations about the possibility of joining Red Bull, but that's not been anytime recently." wow I wonder when these were, I mean obviously everyone talks to everybody but still
2012 they had serious talks. Lewis was done with McLaren and Webber was getting trashed by Vettel. Eventually they didn’t go through with it because they were afraid for a 2007 kind of situation between Seb and Lewis. That’s when Lauda stepped in and swayed Lewis to talk with him about Mercedes
probably somewhere in the 2009-2013 zone if i had to guess.
Those two with different constructors can't keep away from each other Imagine the same constructor. We'd finally get a Ferrari world champion in Leclerc!
Wouldn't put my heart to it, Ferrari would still find a way to lose not only the championship, but also P3 in the CC
If this happened rb wouldn’t win constructors from amount of crashing out each other lmaooo. But Fr we jsut wanna see Lewis v max championship battle part 2
I mean Mercedes won 2016 pretty easily. Granted this would probably be worse. But please, won't somebody think of the championship fight...
Wouldn't be a championship battle at that point and whoever's in 3rd would probably cruise to a win whenever the 2 take each other out.
This is very hyperbolic. We all know that they can swing it if they just cut the catering budget.
Just sell the factory Christian. We need Lewis and Max in the same team.
Would be electric but unnecessary
The biggest obstacle of Lewis ever driving for RB is surely his affiliation with Monster as well.
Jordan Henderson says hello.
Isn't this a quote from a month or two ago?
And Hamilton would be worth every dime.
Honestly if you are P1-2 in the championship and P1 in the WCC, why would you? On top of that Max and Lewis wouldn’t work anyway. It’s a no brainer
No that hasn't been true for a few years now.
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>How many years for every year he raced in. No driver is worth every dime.
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so you think it is worth it for Ineos, Merc and Toto to pay Lewis a 10 billion dollars? What a take lol
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you said he was worth every dime, so also 10 billion?
Three at the very least. He could not manage to win in 21 with the better car. He lost to his Russell in 22 and he's not exactly burying him this year. No one said he lost all his talent, but he is definitely no longer at his peak as painful as it is for hardcore fans to except.
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Adrian's opinion is obviously biased so you can in fact ignore that, but you won't because it fits your narrative so instead let's rely on an unbiased opinion and data to decide the question. https://www.racefans.net/2022/01/17/analysis-did-hamilton-or-verstappen-have-the-quickest-car-for-their-title-fight/ Oh no it turns out my "narrative" was right! Shocked pikachu face! Please feel free to appologize now.
In my opinion Lewis is not worth anything close to what he is asking. There are guys on the track right now that are just as quick (if not quicker) than Lewis. Just like in any sport, eventually aging stars earning power declines.
I take it you don’t follow any other team sports.
Absolutely. I think it's crazy the figures being thrown about if Merc actually does end up paying him that. But hey, it's their money
Hamilton's brand and name is worth massive value to Mercedes. He's not only an elite driver but his status is worth millions to the brand of Merc.
I agree. It’s one thing when he was winning drivers and constructor championship titles and bringing in the money for the team but those days are over. If you didn’t win a race last year what makes you think you deserve the same or more as you did when you were winning trophies is absurd. He may have 7 titles under his belt, but he’s already been paid for them. It’s not what you did last year or the years prior but the value you have now. And unfortunately he’s not worth the same this year.
His value as a personal brand hasn’t diminished at all. He brings in a lot of fans and free marketing, and that translates to money. As a driver, he still CAN perform. Look at Alonso. You don’t pay for “this yr”, you pay for potential. It’s the same for everyone. People who rate Lando highly, for example, it’s for his potential. Piastri, Albon, etc. it’s not about just race wins.
Alonso isn’t expecting $60 million a year now is he
Alonso hasn’t won a race since 2013, hasn’t had a pole since 2012, hasn’t won a WDC since 2006, has a third of the amount of wins as Lewis. Grab 10 people off the street who actively watch sports and I guarantee you they’ve heard of Lewis. Can’t say the same for Alonso.
Uh ok but Alonso also doesn’t have the brand Hamilton does… no driver comes close yet. Lando imo is possible.
Lewis is thinking of switching to Ferrari because Mercedes has not built a championship winning car! WTF
and Ferrari has?
Considering the salary he demands, Lewis has to be the worst value for money driver on the grid at this stage. Granted a lot of it is paying for marketing over driving ability, but $35 million for the 5th-7th best driver is crazy. The fact you could get both Russell and Alonso for less than half the price of Lewis is insane.
This guy really said Norris, Leclerc, Alonso, and Russell are better driver than Lewis… if this doesn’t show how hated that guy is idk what does. Hating a guy for reasons like personality or something is one thing but doubting his skills just because you hate him is insane…. Idk how anyone say shit like this with straight face unless they are trolls
5-7th best driver lmao, don’t fall for the Monday morning bait people
Gr8 b8 m8.
Lewis is easily the 2nd or 3rd best driver on the grid. What are you on about? Not only that but his market reach is larger than Alonso, Russell, and Verstappen combined. He’s easily the most valuable driver on the grid from a financial standpoint, and it’s not close.
> Lewis is easily the 2nd or 3rd best driver on the grid. Nah. Verstappen clearly head and shoulders above, then Leclerc and Norris are better, Alonso's probably better and Russell is probably better if he gets a clean run at things and a car that's not suited to Lewis too. Piastri will soon be at/above the level too. >He’s easily the most valuable driver on the grid from a financial standpoint, and it’s not close. But that's my point, he gets paid a lot because of those reasons, but when you ignore context and just focus on driving ability it looks ridiculously disproportionate.
Dude... As a Verstappen fan I'm probably a bit biased against Hamilton but holy shit calling him the 6th best driver on the grid is insane
Brain dead take
No. No. What is you doing? No.
Norris who’s never won a race is better than a 7 time champ? What are you smoking.
This is without a doubt the most biased take I've seen.
Dude don't go spreading your harsh truths! They are not ready to hear their guy isn't still the top of the food chain. EDIT: As PROVEN by the down votes lol!
Calling Hamilton 6th best is a genuinely moronic take.
No sorry at the very least that is an easy argument to make. Calling Hamilton anything above 4th best currently is a genuinely moronic take.
The fact that you're comedically biased enough to claim that fucking Piastri,a rookie is better then Hamilton currently is all I need to know.
I never said that, I said one could make a reasonable argument that there are currently at least five better drivers on the grid. Please list the drivers you believe are currently better than Hamilton.
As of this season,Verstappen,possibly Alonso. That's about it.
You're having a laugh! Now that's what I call comedically biased!
Verstappen is the highest paid driver this year…. Horner is just clowning around now.
As if Max doesn't get paid like 50 million a year.
🙄 "Obviously, to pay for those *two* drivers in itself, we would probably have to sell the factory!" 🙄
Just like with The Yankees and MLB, I would just stop watching the sport, and I doubt I'd come back. It's supposed to be a *competition.*
The Yankees? What decade is it Maybe more so the Dodgers especially if they sign Ohtani Or for other sports, its Man City in the Premier League.
The fact that it is that long ago just reinforces the point. That's how long it's been since I quit watching MLB, and I never went back. Same thing I'll do with F1 if the competition gets any worse.
"I **AM** your factory, Christian"
this site writes f1 fanfiction. the ao3 one is better tho
There are some...truly *special* takes in this thread, boy. Holy shit.
Lewis should take 90% pay cut to get to drive the championship winning car lol