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Vettel says he is staying put at Ferrari:

"Sebastian Vettel has pledged his allegiance to Ferrari, despite speculation linking him to replacing the recently-retired Nico Rosberg at Mercedes in 2017.

Speaking at the Ferrari World Finals event in Daytona, Vettel said he respects Rosberg’s decision to retire as world champion, and wished him: “Happy holiday!”

When asked by Motosport.com if he could clarify his contractual situation for 2017, and whether he'd received any contact from Mercedes, he replied: “I think it’s not a big secret that both myself and Kimi [Raikkonen] both have a contract for next year – so it should be clear.”

Vettel was reluctant to comment on whether the loss of Rosberg would disrupt Mercedes going into the 2017 season.

“I don’t know what’s their plan but for us we look after ourselves for next year, there’s a lot of things changing so we’re quite busy ourselves,” he said. “Obviously, for us, we’re very positive for next year.

“I think the team is getting stronger, that is what we’ve felt in the last couple of months at the track and in the factory. We should be able to come out with a better package.”

Vettel said he wishes Rosberg well in his retirement, and that he respected his decision to quit while he was on top.

“I think everybody is free to do what he or she wants,” said Vettel. “I respect his decision. I’m sure he’ll take time off before he goes on to do something else. Happy holiday!”"

Watch: Vettel on Rosberg….

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vette ... rg-856816/

[sagi58]

...As for Nico...
...I'm delighted for him. He seems to have his priorities right.

What a great guy!! Love that he spoke about his family and doing his "Daddy" duty!!

[sagi58]

Now Wolff calls off chasing Alonso, Vettel and Bottas..."[/i]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.ph ... -or-alonso

What a fairy tale!!
According to Wolff, everyone has called for the seat??
The only two that haven't called probably don't have his number?
Mercedes don't want to interfere with other teams?

I'm betting it's more like What you've said, overboost!!
Hamilton was top status at Mercedes!

I wonder if any of them have heard the one about Glasshouses?

[sagi58]

Vettel makes a good point, when asked if he thought about retiring
when won his first WDC. He was only 24-25, so in a different mind
set than Nico, who is 31 and a family man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ArOnk7eHU

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The search heats up at Merc HQ:

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Now Lauda is quoted saying the opposite to Wolff. Unlike Kimi I don't think these guys know what they are doing.

Lauda wants Alonso or Raikkonen.

DavidF1
DavidF1 – ‏@davve2010

Niki Lauda: Hiring a youngster is a risk and we don't know how strong he would be. I would love Fernando or Kimi to replace Nico #F1
5:35 AM - 4 Dec 2016

https://mobile.twitter.com/davve2010/st ... 6386159616

[darwin dali]

Too many cooks.

[sagi58]

Too many cooks.

I think you may have mispelt that...

[darwin dali]

Je suis choqué

[sagi58]

Tu es choqué?? C'est incroyable!!

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crooks

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Paddy Lowe on Nico Rosberg below.

From twhat Lowe describes it looks like Rosberg's departure has done great damage to their future plans. Perhaps Rosberg, now a world champ, was going to be the cornerstone of the team. If that was the case what Merc are now looking for is a near future team lead and if that is not available then a short term stop gap. Interesting.


Mercedes F1's Lowe says Rosberg retirement like losing a wheel


"World champion Nico Rosberg will be tough to replace because it is like losing a corner of the Mercedes Formula 1 car, says the team's executive technical director Paddy Lowe.

Just five days after winning the 2016 F1 title, Rosberg stunned the world of motorsport by announcing his retirement with immediate effect on Friday.

Who should replace Rosberg in 2017?

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said Rosberg retires as "the best driver in Formula 1 today" and added the world champion outfit will take its time in naming a replacement.

Rosberg, who was named International Racing Driver of the Year at the Autosport Awards in London on Sunday, beat Hamilton to his maiden title by just five points.

"From an engineering point of view, losing Nico is like losing a corner of the car," Lowe told Autosport.

"How are you going to recover that?

"We'll be putting a lot of work in to that over the next few weeks, making sure we make the best decision possible.

"It is difficult because from a technical, engineering point of view we exist as an organisation to go out there and earn points for championships.

"That's a very, very tough process to go through - we've got some very, very tough competitors.

"Losing such a critical component in the team as Nico at this stage is something that will set us back a bit.

"To break the records we've done in the last three seasons you need a great car and a great team to produce that car.

"But you need fantastic drivers to go out there and score those points at a very, very low error rate."



The German won nine races and took eight poles during the season and only failed to make the podium five times in 21 races.

Despite the void Rosberg would leave, Lowe said the 31-year-old's decision made "perfect sense".

"There's the human side and we share some admiration with the rest of the world for Nico making such a brave call," added Lowe.

"We know him well, we know his family, and we understand the move he wants to make.

"It makes perfect sense to all of us. That's the human aspect."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.ph ... heel--lowe

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Alonso is now on Mercedes radar. I think Bernie is working his magic in the background to make this happen. Mclaren would be taken care of :


Mercedes 'considering' Fernando Alonso to replace Nico Rosberg


By Pete Gill
Last Updated: 06/12/16 11:58am

"Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the team are considering signing Fernando Alonso to replace Nico Rosberg.
Mercedes have confirmed Fernando Alonso is being 'considered' as a potential replacement for Nico Rosberg - but Pascal Wehrlein remains the favourite to succeed the retired world champion.

After Rosberg's stunning bombshell, the Silver Arrows are short of time before pre-season testing begins in February to find his replacement and short of options. All of the sport's top drivers are under contract for next season leaving Mercedes' hierarchy in a difficult predicament.

But if the F1 purists had their way, there would be no hesitation inside Mercedes at trying to entice Alonso, the two-time world champion, to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton in a blockbuster partnership that would instantly adorn the 2017 season with Box Office allure.

"He is a driver I respect a lot. He combines talent, speed and experience. It's all there.

"But he is in a contract with McLaren-Honda at the moment and we just need to weigh all the other options up."

And there's the rub: Alonso is about to begin the final year of his watertight three-year deal with McLaren and Zak Brown, the new boss at Woking, reiterated to Sky Sports on Monday the team are adamant he won't be departing to fill Mercedes' vacancy.

McLaren insist Alonso is not leaving

"We have a contract with Fernando and he is very happy," Brown said. "Obviously he wants to be winning races, as do we, but I am not worried about that scenario.""

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/ ... co-rosberg

[sagi58]

Alonso is now on Mercedes radar. I think Bernie is working his magic in the background to make this happen. Mclaren would be taken care of ...

Alonso alongside Hamilton? For Round 2?

Question: Will heads implode? Or will they roll?

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