Mercedes-AMG W15 launch is next 14th of February

 

I just hope it doesn't mean that Barcelona loses the Grand Prix it has hosted since 1991...

On the other hand, I'm not particularly excited about a new street circuit, which is located in a fairground, between pavilions, well away from the city. Zero glamour… I don't see the sustainability of a GP like this at all. I fear that it will be an economic disaster (as was the Valencia Street Circuit) and that it will disappear in a short time (if the first edition is ever held), if they intend to do it without investing public money.

 

Street circuits are tough to sustain. Even Las Vegas must get a lot better to setup and dismantle, to be sustained long term. Most Vegas residents and establishments are still resentful.

 

Poor Albert
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/01/formula-1-star-lewis-hamilton-to-join-ferrari-media-reports-say.html

 

I remain hopeful until I see an official statement from the team, but it doesn't look good…

 

It’s official…

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last August and this season will therefore be his last driving for the Silver Arrows. The news brings an end to what is currently a 17-year long relationship in F1 with Mercedes-Benz and an 11-year long partnership with the works team.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, commented: "In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that's something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis's decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024."

Lewis Hamilton added: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."

 

@Albert-AMG who would you like to fill the vacancy in 2025?