BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Formula 1 | Mercedes takes ownership of Brawn

Didn't see that coming :eek:

Hmmm, probably explains why Button was wandering around the Woking facility last week then!

Steve

Looks likely that Jenson will be joining Lewis at McLaren, that could be interesting.

Looks likely that Jenson will be joining Lewis at McLaren, that could be interesting.

Prepare for the battle of the dads

Brimma, do you mean the pink shirt v the stern face?

Brimma, do you mean the pink shirt v the stern face?

Thinking about it, maybe a battle of the girlfriends, in bikinis, in mud, might be more interesting :drool:

I have been a big fan of Jenson ever since he showed Ralf Schumacher the way home, but I can’t see him beating Hamilton over a season. The car will no doubt be tailored for Hamilton too. Also who will be the lead driver? Button might have number 1 on his car, but Hamilton is the established lead driver (I doubt they will have a 100% genuine no number one driver policy).

Shame really as I can’t stand Hamilton as a person.:(

I have been a big fan of Jenson ever since he showed Ralf Schumacher the way home, but I can’t see him beating Hamilton over a season. The car will no doubt be tailored for Hamilton too. Also who will be the lead driver? Button might have number 1 on his car, but Hamilton is the established lead driver (I doubt they will have a 100% genuine no number one driver policy).

Shame really as I can’t stand Hamilton as a person.:(

That's all well and good, Amanda, but what about the mud wrestling ?

That's all well and good, Amanda, but what about the mud wrestling ?

I reckon Jenson will beat him hands down

I reckon Jenson will beat him hands down

Sadly it looks like the Brawn team will be rebranded 'Mercedes GP':(

I would imagine that the Brawn budget was fairly small for last season with Honda probably giving them a few quid to see the season through and Mercedes supplying the engines with some future deal as payment. To go forward for the future Brawn needed either a big sponsor or someone to buy a big slice of the team.

I think they made a good commercial move buy having Mercedes buy the team. It flies in the face of most of motor industry, where Honda, Toyota, BMW have left F1 and Renualt are thinking about it.

I'm a Ferrari fan and the thoughts of a genuine "Silver Arrows" team scares me but it can only be good for Formula One with all the financial uncertainty flying about at the moment. It looks like it will be Rosberg and Heidfeld in the cars..............but I'm going to take a punt on Kimi, you heard it here first !!!

Rumour has it the McLaren is a pretty quick car already! I reckon on Hamilton for Champ next year :(

Jenson is still better looking though and that has to count for something

Didn't see that coming :eek:

You didnt? :eek:

They can buy a team for 1/3 what they spend with Mclaren.

Do the maths

Mercedes needs not

You didnt? :eek:

They can buy a team for 1/3 what they spend with Mclaren.

Do the maths

and they were hinting (bbc coverage) at the possibilty of merc buying in towards they last few races of the season anyway, so no, no surprise to me either...... it was more a case of, when it would be announced than anything else.......

It would now be great if Merc could stump up the cash for Kimi, Kimi & Rosberg would make for a great line up (it might rub a bit salt in Jenses wounds though, seeing as they 'couldn't afford' jense) and it would make 4 great teams with top class driver line ups at the front of the grid....

Ferrari - Alonso, Massa

Mclaren - Hamilton, Button

Mercedes - Kimi, Rosberg

Redbull - Vettel, Webber

That would make for a great season, assuming the Mercs deliver a good car......

Mercedes has said Ross Brawn will have a big say in the driver lineup and has indicated that it wants to be seen as an international team. So don't write off a Rossberg/Button pairing yet. Especially as Mercedes should be able to pay Jens what he's worth.

A Button/Hamilton swap

I feel sorry for Jenson. It’s Mansell/Hill all over again.. Instead of having the world at his fingertips, he is likely to be paid several million less than Kimi would be paid for NOT driving next year! Plus he will have a team mate who is probably the fastest driver on the circuit and will have already set the development path of the new McLaren down the oversteer path (which Button will not be able to cope with). He can not possibly beat Hamilton in an identical car if it is loose in the manner that Hamilton wants.:(

I would have thought that changing the car from oversteery to understeery could be accomplished via adjustments to the suspension set up, brake bias and a tweek or two on the front wing. So guess that Maclaren could set the car up to JB's liking quite easily.

I think a move to Maclaren might not be a bad thing for Jenson as he'll arrive as the underdog and that might put more pressure on Hamilton. Whilst on a single lap, LH is probably the faster of the two, he made some unforced errors last season and with the media focusing on Lewis as the incumbent and 'No. 1', JB might quietly go about amassing points and beat his team mate. On the other hand, it could be all over by Monaco!

I would have thought that changing the car from oversteery to understeery could be accomplished via adjustments to the suspension set up, brake bias and a tweek or two on the front wing. So guess that Maclaren could set the car up to JB's liking quite easily.

I think a move to Maclaren might not be a bad thing for Jenson as he'll arrive as the underdog and that might put more pressure on Hamilton. Whilst on a single lap, LH is probably the faster of the two, he made some unforced errors last season and with the media focusing on Lewis as the incumbent and 'No. 1', JB might quietly go about amassing points and beat his team mate. On the other hand, it could be all over by Monaco!

I think the inherent balance of the car is engineered into it from the start. By compromising the design to make the car suit Buttons style I would expect the car to lose speed. Just imagine trying to tweak a 911 to make it underteery on the limit, it would almost certainly not be anywhere near as quick as the standard car. Schumacher as much proved it, when people tried to drive with a car he had been fundamental in designing. Rubens proved that he could cope with a car that handled oddly, better than Button and no amount of tinkering could make the car suit Button. Luckily the car was perfect for JB at the beginning of the season and the rest is history.

I still put my money on Hamilton and can’t see Button getting the better of him very often.:(

I still put my money on Hamilton and can’t see Button getting the better of him very often.:(

You may very well be right, but I could still see the pressure getting to Hamilton as the expectation that he'll easily beat his team mate grows and the general view that the Maclaren is the best car. From an expectation management perspective, Button would, I'm sure, prefer to be the underdog - he has nothing to lose.

It might only take a couple of reliability issues with Hamiltons car (Button is known to be more gentle on his car) and Lewis might find that Button's consistency in accumulating podium positions gives him the lead as they head into the second half of the season. Throw in some wins by Vettel, Webber, Alonso and Massa, etc. and Maclaren might have to choose a No. 1 and it might not be Hamilton.

It should make for an interesting season, particularly with Alonso in the Ferrari and a load of new teams. Maybe one of the newcommers will out Brawn this years Brawn team. One, two in the drivers standings and the constructors championship wrapped up by the time of the British Grand Prix next July

Alonso will throw his toys out of the pram as he did at Mclaren when he sees Massa being more integrated than him. Always has stropped, always will.

I think a move to Maclaren might not be a bad thing for Jenson as he'll arrive as the underdog and that might put more pressure on Hamilton.

Is that the same sort of underdog as Hamilton was with Alonso at McLaren?