The F1 thread

Fretwired

goldtop said:

Fretwired said:

The clause is in the contract.

Again, please post the full contract. Context is everything.

I don't have a copy of Hamilton's contract but Toto Wolff has said on many occasions that  Mercedes have internal agreements that are covered by the drivers contracts - that includes being free to race but also team orders. I will ask someone I know who will know.

Hamilton voted number one:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/127328

goldtop

Fretwired said:

goldtop said:

Fretwired said:

The clause is in the contract.

Again, please post the full contract. Context is everything.

I don't have a copy of Hamilton's contract but Toto Wolff has said on many occasions that  Mercedes have internal agreements that are covered by the drivers contracts - that includes being free to race but also team orders. I will ask someone I know who will know.

I'm hopeful, but doubtful you can post it. I know for sure that even very senior and long-time McLaren employees don't see driver contracts.

That Mercedes got Paddy Lowe on the radio to tell LH to stop trying to win the WDC is a disgrace. Up there with "Fernando is faster than you".

Fretwired

goldtop said:

Fretwired said:

goldtop said:

Fretwired said:

The clause is in the contract.

Again, please post the full contract. Context is everything.

I don't have a copy of Hamilton's contract but Toto Wolff has said on many occasions that  Mercedes have internal agreements that are covered by the drivers contracts - that includes being free to race but also team orders. I will ask someone I know who will know.

I'm hopeful, but doubtful you can post it. I know for sure that even very senior and long-time McLaren employees don't see driver contracts.

That Mercedes got Paddy Lowe on the radio to tell LH to stop trying to win the WDC is a disgrace. Up there with "Fernando is faster than you".

He is unlikely to know the exact detail and even if he did it will be confidential so there's no way I'd get a look. He can clarify whether team orders are covered though.

I suspect Wolff will do nothing - new rules next year so binning the best driver in F1 wouldn't be a smart move.

siremoon

All F1 driver contracts contain such a clause and a bunch of people whinging about it on the internet and demanding evidence doesn't change that.  Are you really naive enough to think that driver contracts do not require them to follow instructions given by team management?  The radio calls all made it clear that it was an instruction.  That was not by chance.  Hamilton is in breach of his contract, there is no doubt about that and internet whinging doesn't change that either. 

What Mercedes choose to do about it is an entirely different matter.  People break the terms of employment contracts all the time and the consequences of such action range from nothing through to getting fired.  Several times a season you have F1 drivers breaching their contracts by failing to follow team instructions.  This year we've had the Sauber drivers, Vettel and others.  Just because they didn't get instantly sacked doesn't mean they weren't in breach of their contracts. They were and so is Hamilton therefore *if* Mercedes want to get rid of him it gives them a way to do it.

sinbaadi

I can just as easily suppose that as the agent for Lewis Hamilton it would be my duty to ensure that he is free to challenge for race wins and the driver's title.  So there is probably a clause or sub-clause saying something like that too.  Contracts work both ways.

Garthy

siremoon said:

All F1 driver contracts contain such a clause and a bunch of people whinging about it on the internet and demanding evidence doesn't change that.  Are you really naive enough to think that driver contracts do not require them to follow instructions given by team management?  The radio calls all made it clear that it was an instruction.  That was not by chance.  Hamilton is in breach of his contract, there is no doubt about that and internet whinging doesn't change that either. 

What Mercedes choose to do about it is an entirely different matter.  People break the terms of employment contracts all the time and the consequences of such action range from nothing through to getting fired.  Several times a season you have F1 drivers breaching their contracts by failing to follow team instructions.  This year we've had the Sauber drivers, Vettel and others.  Just because they didn't get instantly sacked doesn't mean they weren't in breach of their contracts. They were and so is Hamilton therefore *if* Mercedes want to get rid of him it gives them a way to do it.

Perhaps that's why his contract was in the hands of the solicitors back and forth for 5 months as LH didn't agree with the T&Cs of the original draft. He has gone to great lengths to ensure parity was in his contract (again public knowledge)  so while team instructions may be in their sporting agreements, they cannot ask him to flush a title down the toilet.

stickyfiddle

Rosberg just announced he's retiring. I'm stunned.

Hamilton will not have the opportunity to take it off him. Incredible!

stickyfiddle

So who the fuck gets the spare Mercedes seat? Alonso, Vettel, BUTTON?? Hopefully not Wehrlein - that would be so dull.

fretmeister

Right now, every man on the grid is on the phone to their lawyers to try and get them out of their current contracts and into that Merc.

Never saw that coming!

thumpingrug

Didn't see that coming.  Whats going on at Mercedes?

Fretwired

stickyfiddle said:

Rosberg just announced he's retiring. I'm stunned.

Hamilton will not have the opportunity to take it off him. Incredible!

Oh dear .. Wolff now has a big problem ... :-)

Wehrlein will get the seat - I wonder who will partner him? Could Hamilton jump ship to Ferrari with Vettel going in the other direction? I bet his sick of being criticised by Wolff and co.

stickyfiddle

Fretwired said:

stickyfiddle said:

Rosberg just announced he's retiring. I'm stunned.

Hamilton will not have the opportunity to take it off him. Incredible!

Oh dear .. Wolff now has a big problem ... :-)

Wehrlein will get the seat - I wonder who will partner him? Could Hamilton jump ship to Ferrari with Vettel going in the other direction? I bet his sick of being criticised by Wolff and co.

Again, Hamilton won't leave. Why would he?

rolls1392

That came out of the blue.
Well done for Nico bailing at the top.
Will piss Lewis off as he can't get him back.
Bring on the gunfight for the seat!!

Fretwired

stickyfiddle said:

Fretwired said:

stickyfiddle said:

Rosberg just announced he's retiring. I'm stunned.

Hamilton will not have the opportunity to take it off him. Incredible!

Oh dear .. Wolff now has a big problem ... :-)

Wehrlein will get the seat - I wonder who will partner him? Could Hamilton jump ship to Ferrari with Vettel going in the other direction? I bet his sick of being criticised by Wolff and co.

Again, Hamilton won't leave. Why would he?

Wolff might want a change - swap a three-time winning world champion for a four-time winning world champion. Hamilton's driven by emotion and doesn't always make the right decisions - he may decide he can't work with Wolff and co and maybe looking at Ferrari who have been poring all their cash into next season's car. It may also depend who Hamilton is partnered with - Alonso may fancy jumping from McLaren.

I thought something wasn't quite right when I read some of Rosberg's and Hamilton's Tweets. They seem to be buddies again.

thumpingrug

Alonso to mercedes and button back at mclaren?

Fretwired

rolls1392 said:

That came out of the blue.
Well done for Nico bailing at the top.
Will piss Lewis off as he can't get him back.
Bring on the gunfight for the seat!!

Not sure .. Lewis may have his hands full with Vestappen next year. That kid can race and Adrian Newey loves designing new cars when the rules change as he is the master of exploiting tech before anyone else. I expect Red Bull to be competitive. And Honda have a new engine so who knows McLaren may be back.

stickyfiddle

thumpingrug said:

Alonso to mercedes and button back at mclaren?

I was fairly well convinced Button was done with F1 after the last race, but you never know. 

What you can be 100% sure of is that, as I type this, Alonso and Vettel are both on the phone to their lawyers.

I'd really like Fred to get the seat and grab one last title off Lewis before retiring himself...

Garthy

I bet Button is kicking himself now. Hardly any drivers available at this late stage. Pascal has to be the default choice.

Heartfeltdawn

stickyfiddle said:

Again, Hamilton won't leave. Why would he?

Given that a week old world champion has just retired out of the blue, it would be foolish to write off anything at this moment in time. 

If Mercedes have any sense, then a straight Hamilton-Vettel swap should be explored and they get Jenson Button in as number two. Wehrlein is not ready and not big enough from a PR point of view. After the dumping of the German GP, F1 in Germany needs a boost and having homeboy Vettel the homeboy and the best guy in F1 in terms of media and PR in Button would be a good move. JB handled working with Hamilton in the past and so wouldn't have any trouble coping alongside a similar "mememe" type teammate in Vettel. 

joeyowen

Nico retires with immediate effect!

Was not expecting that from him.

Alonso probably updating his speed dial