Exactly my opinion as to why it won't happen. Hamilton/Vettel/Alonso have massive egos as opposed to Button/Raikkonen etc.
I've considered that perhaps Merc want him for 3/4 years where as Lewis is more after 2/3 years. Both sides will have messed up big style if this starts to fall apart.
There have been rumours (which I'll try and link to, except they're in Swedish), that Ferrari and Mercedes did a deal over the winter which amounted to: We'll not develop our engine (much) if you promise not to try and pinch Hamilton. How reliable? No idea, it's from the private blog of a journo who works for the Swedish equivalent to the BBC.
Two tales: Luca di Montezemolo: “When Marchione and I saw that Alonso got more and more bitter and continually mistrusted the team, we decided it was time for a change. Vettel definitely earns less than Alonso had demanded for an extension of his contract, and he helped Arrivabene build a new, better spirit within the team.” Boullier: "I don't think he made the wrong decision. He spent five years there and it didn't work out, and I guess like many sportsmen he looked for a new challenge, if I may say this. Coming back here, as he said 'to finish the unfinished business', he knew the project would be difficult to start with because it is very, very young. But he believed in what we said, which was important, he believed in what he saw, which is also important, and he believed in the people and the whole package."
I've thought for a while that it was more likely Alonso was pushed, rather than walked. Vettel seemed calmed and assured as soon as he announced he was leaving Red Bull. Alonso on the other hand seemed pretty agitated. He didn't seem to know where he was going, he wouldn't even rule out leaving Ferrari and there were even rumours of him taking a sabbatical and they were ages confirming the McLaren. Vettel moved decisively from Red Bull to Ferrari, and it looked like Alonso was left to pick up the pieces. His career seems in tatters right now.
Ferrari received more money than any other team in Formula 1 for the 2014 season due to the championship's current payment system, details of which AUTOSPORT can reveal. please log in to view this image At the end of each season, Formula One Management collates revenues from three streams - hosting fees, media rights and "other" such as trackside sponsorship and hospitality. It then distributes 65 per cent of the underlying revenues among the qualifying teams. However, while 50 per cent of those revenues is distributed to teams based on their finishing position in the constructors' championship, the other 15 per cent is split between Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams - in the form of a premium payment. These premium payments were agreed by the five major teams by way of bilateral agreements in early 2012, ahead of the expiration of the Concorde Agreement. So in 2014, Ferrari received $67million for finishing fourth in the constructors' standings, $25 million less than champion team Mercedes. But the Scuderia received a further $97million in the form of a premium payment, bringing its total revenue to $164 million, more than any other team. Red Bull, which finished second in the constructors' championship, received a total of $156million - the second highest tally - with Mercedes third overall with $126million. McLaren, having scored just two podiums on its way to fifth in the constructors' championship, was the fourth best paid team with $98million. In contrast, Williams, which finished third in the constructors' championship and scored nine podiums, was fifth overall with $83million. Force India finished one place and 26 points behind McLaren in the constructors' championship but it received $38million less than the Woking-based team.
Shocking that Williams receives so little in Premium payments and Red Bull so much. How on earth did Red Bull manage to pull that one off? They are only just getting less Premium payment than Ferrari. Not that I really agree with the Premium Payments but at least Ferrari have been in F1 for coming on 70 years Red Bull only just 10!!!! OK so they won a good few championships but that was just 'their time' when things came together. At least Ferrari don't threaten to quit when they have a bad season. Red Bull really are looking worse and worse in my eyes. I don't like the management or the money they are depriving the smaller teams off. Engineering wise they were very good but way too quick to throw toys out of pram and demand things.
Mercedes and Ferrari are in F1 solely for the money, RBR are there to race, but commercially protected contracts mean that they're not allowed to do that in it's current guise. After watching the farcial 'punishment' for their illegal testing, the revelations that Mercedes were given a little extra help from the FIA, which considering everything surrounding the behind-the-scenes deals made by Ecclestone, Mercedes, Brawn and Todt , I find extremely plausible. I don't blame RBR one bit. as for 'how the money is divided' how much are Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault making from their various FOM commercially protected engine deals? Factor any of that in when complaining about greed did we? Of course we can't dare point any finger at personality cult boy and his team, can we, the team at the forefront of the 'we'll quit unless you change the regs cos we aren't winning', which has put how many teams into financial ****?
I seem to remember Renault were at the forefront of the V6 hybrid engine and threatened to quit supplying sorry selling engines! Lets face it most of the teams are in it for the money! Red Bull get huge amounts of press coverage for their brand, far more than it costs to run the team. Merc, Ferrari, McLaren again for the publicity they get and to see their products. That just leaves Williams (recently sold their flywheel energy recovery system business, but really are racers), Force India (don't really know why, maybe for the owners company publicity), Lotus (not really the car company, was Renault, now a venture capitalist, so I'm not sure why they are in F1), Manor (not sure as no sponsors, maybe racers). I do realise that F1 is business and no longer much of a sport. To me it seems that the commercial rights holder and the FIA are doing back room deals and destroying all elements of sport as they go. I am interested in everyone else's opinions on the above, as the above is just my opinion. I am always ready to be educated.
They financially support two teams and have no f1 based income and must buy their engines for both from Renault. Mercedes run 1 team and sell engines to 3 others, as do Ferrari.
For info on where these premium payments came from (in early 2012): In order to ensure maximum IPO return, CVC desperately needed long-term contracts - beyond 2017, at least - committing F1's biggest names - Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and, to lesser degrees, Mercedes and Williams - to F1. In March 2012, FOM offered said teams signing fees and premium payments (of varying levels), plus their usual shares of revenues based on on-track performance, effective 2013-2020. In addition, the favoured teams were granted membership of F1's new Strategy Group, which would frame and vote on all future regulation changes - on a six-each basis for FOM, FIA and the five teams, plus the highest-placed non-SG team in the previous season's championship - before escalating them to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council for ratification. The original concept excluded an interim process involving the F1 Commission before regulations are escalated to the WMSC, but this was amended in October 2012 at the insistence of the FIA.
Having just read this properly I can see why Bernie is not keen on Mercedes: http://plus.autosport.com/premium/feature/6511/the-story-behind-f1-financial-structure Essentially if Mercedes tie up the double again this year then their premium payment gets pumped up from $34m to $74m (same as Red Bulls, $23m less than Ferrari). This comes out of CVCs pot and not the others teams share so that means less money for CVC/FOM.....
