Ive just read a few reports today that Mercedes are considering pulling out of F1 as a team owner and concentrate just as an engineering role for its F1 teams. The new name will obviously be AMG who are their high performance brand who have already got a presence with the team. This could also explain the hold up with the team to commit to the new F1 agreement for 2013. So is this the last nail in the coffin for Manufacture owned teams after Honda (2008) BMW (2009) Toyota (2009) Renault (2010) have all left team ownership or left compleately. F1 seams to be now fully in the age of sports cars with Lotus, Ferrari, Caterham, Marussia, Infineon and AMG on the grid. Also where will Michael Schumachers commitment stand if it is nolonger called Mercedes?
Oh good, it's just a cynical marketing decision, I thought they were going to be bought out for a second.
Yes they are, but I think they would be better and less restricted without the budget control of a manfacturer. It becomes more about the winning and brand strength rather than how many cars you sell or at what margin in what country.
God it bores me when people resort to such easy/innane "arguments" against Schumacher and Ferrari. It's similar to the whole Scottish oil and pro independence debate. On the face of it looks solid, but in context it's looks pathetic and just lazy.
Seconded, how long until Vettel or Alonso are facing this? It is so easy for them to do this. Anyway, I think it would loosen up the team as someone mentioned before, less pressure.
If Schumacher fans will use childishly simple arguments to suggest that a 43 year-old and a technical director who has had as many dodgy years as good ones will automatically return to glory as soon as a team changes their name then I believe they open themselves up to childish arguments in return.
Dude my comments are as valid as anybody's, I didn't offend anyone. I don't need to be the foundation of your attacks. Before you right anything, I would like to remind you that nobody is above anyone on here. Take note of that. What has being 43 got to do with anything? He has achieved more than anybody in his life. And is doing very well against he top drivers today. That director is the man that allowed Button to grab glory, so before you call him dodgy, I would like to remind you that there are Button fans on here. Massive respect is owed to Ross for his contribution to F1. Your interpretation of a good year is probably 2009 right? And the bad ones 1991-1995 and the Ferrari years. Don't bother.
I'm not pretending to be above you, I'm just bored of your comments now. Bear in mind that I have defended you quite a few times when I have felt that some attacks have gone too far. Your comment was in keeping with your general tone on here, that Schumacher is faultless and is only being held back by external factors, which didn't actually contribute a lot to the discussion in the thread other than to clearly be designed to antagonise your opponents on here and if meant genuinely and truthfully smacks of a lack of research. If meant tongue in cheek then consider my comment a tongue in cheek rebuttal. I wrote out a point by point analysis at first but I don't think this is really the time or the place, or that it is actually a worthwhile exercise.
EMSC: I didn't see your original comment as offensive: But surely you see that even if everyone agreed with it, it is rather black and white? - - -o0o- - - When I saw the response: , I simply saw it as extending your logic with some colour. It is the nature of debate for counter-argument to meet counter argument; and for counter-argument to dispute such absolute statements. It seemed to me that Tomtom was agreeing that the world is a colourful place.
