FINISHING STRAIGHTTHE FINAL LAP
More significantly,a tinge of
uncertainty hangs inthe air over
what Wolff himself might do in the
near future. Beyond that, and no
doubt informing Toto’s mindset,
is the ma tter of Mercedes’ ongoing
commitment to F1– which has
itself been brought into question.
If, as expected, Mercedes sweeps
to a seventh consecutive championship doublein 2020,it might
wonder if itswork in F1 is done in termsof return on investment.
Against a widertapestry of manufacturersretreating fromthe in ternal
combustion engine, it may electto courierits trophiesto Stuttgart and
put the BrackleyF1 factory up for sale. TheBrixworth engine facility
is already25% geared towardsroadcarpowertrainresearch and
manufacture, and that proportion couldeasily shift further.
Wolff is a shareholderbut shares can besold. He has also been
approached asa putative replacement for F1CEO ChaseCarey
when the Americansteps down. Thisis not justidle speculation but
a well-sourced story which hasput noses
out of joint (thesource is understood to be
an ex-employee nowin high dudgeonfor
neglectingto observe anNDA).
All thismakes Mercedes very mucha
wait-and-see, post-2020. And thenthere’s
the matterof whereLewis is in his career.
Should he winhis seventh drivers’title in
2020,equalling Michael Schumacher’s tally,
it will be hi s sixth with Mercedes. Lewis
readilyspeaks about how hard and deep
he has to di g, how much energy hehas to
channel andexpend, to sustain himself at
his competitive maximum.We’veseen in the
past how, when his focusslips, he can drop
frombeing great to merelyexcellent.
LongtimeF1 Racingreaders may recall
when Tom Clarksonrodefrom John
O’Groats to Land’s Endin the company of
F1 personalities including Damon Hill. At
journey’s endDamon murmured to Tom that
he shouldenjoy the achievement because
tomorrow itwill all be in the past.
A voracious winning machine like Lewis
needsnewchallengestosustainhisambition.
And if he does go to Ferrari it will be–
to steal a phrase from John FKennedy – not
because it is easy, but because heknows it
will be hard.Goals.No,nottheslotting-the-ball-between-
the-postssort. Every elitesportspersonwants- needs– a specific, measurable, achievable goal
(and it’s not justthe eli tes – eve ryone pounding
frozen pavements right now, following one of
those 12-wee k London Marathontraining plans
downloaded fromthe internet, will be able to
recite the pr inciples of SMARTgoals intheir
sleep). Once thattarget is attained they move on
to the next, like a mountaineerstanding atop a
peak andcontemplating the next one to conquer.
That’s why Lewis Hamilton must goto Fe rrari
soone r or later.
Such amovehasbeen a topic of speculation
for some timenow, but Lewis has gone so faras
to admit (or declinedtodeny) having hadtwo
meetingswith Ferrari chairmanJohn Elkann
during thepast 12 months. Hamilton’s explanation
was cagey anddiplomatically phrased, indicating
how much he’ s learned about therules of
engagement since helast changed teams. During
his ‘bogey season’ in 2011Lewis brazenly strode
into the Re d Bull’s hospitality duringthe Canadian
GP weekend andaske d to see Christian Horner
(who, when informed of Lewis’s presence,was
hear d to reply:“What the fuck does he want?”).
You can read thisdalliance with Maranelloas
Lewis keeping hisoptionsopen while also gently
reminding Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to sharpen
the pencils inprep aration for theirnextround
of contract negotiations.Hamilton’s current
deal expires at theend of 2020, so whynot star t
the biddingnow?ONE LAST PEAK
FOR HAMILTON
TO CONQUER
PICTURE:STEVENTEE.ILLUSTRATION:BENJAMINWACHENJE@CoddersF1 facebook.com/f1racingmagPICTURES114 F1 RACING JANUARY 2020
STUART CODLING
FLAT
CHAT
{ {
FULLTHROTTLE
MUSINGSWITHCouldLewisHamiltonbetempted
toswitchtoFerrariifMercedes’
commitmenttoF1wa vers?A VORACIOUS
WINNING
MACHINE LIKE
LEWISNEEDS NEW
CHALLENGES
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