Bleacher Report - McLaren-Mercedes

High Marks For Mercedes' New Formula One Lineup

Christopher Leone — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:13:05 -0500

While Mercedes Grand Prix may have failed to retain reigning world champion Jenson Button, the engine supplier can still call the Brit a part of its team.

As most of the motorsport world already knows, Button has signed a multi-year deal with McLaren, to partner with 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton in its lineup.

For years, McLaren has been the flagship Mercedes team; following two years with Sauber in 1993 and 1994, they began supplying engines to the Woking-based outfit in 1995. McLaren-Mercedes has won three drivers' championships and one constructors' championship since the beginning of the partnership.

Despite its purchase of the former Brawn GP and conversion to a works team, however, Mercedes will maintain the partnership with McLaren through at least 2015. This means that the engine company will also continue its relationships with Button and Hamilton for as long as they remain with McLaren; Button has a multi-year deal, while Hamilton has been affiliated with McLaren for over ten years, with no end in sight.

Losing Button from its works team is certainly a disappointment, but the move actually creates a more ideal situation for Mercedes. With Button and Hamilton under contract to McLaren, they can still lay claim to the two most recent world champions, but don't have to pay the exorbitant salaries that come with drivers of that caliber.

It also means that Mercedes will not directly have to deal with Button and Hamilton if their combination blows up, a la Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007.

Finally, it frees up the works team to hire two German drivers - widely speculated to be Nico Rosberg, formerly of Williams, and Nick Heidfeld, last of the Sauber team whose 2010 status is currently up in the air.

Rosberg placed seventh in points in 2009, and has commented that he would like to move to a winning team; with most key personnel retained from its brief life as Brawn GP, it seems a fair guess that the Mercedes will be capable of winning. Heidfeld is a career journeyman who has seen better days, and, like Rosberg, has never won a Formula One race, but is by no means a bad driver.

This all-German team gives Mercedes claim to two of the best German open-wheel racers in the world, something they never had with McLaren, which has generally employed Finnish or British drivers over the past few years (with some notable exceptions). The only German-speaking driver to race for McLaren since 1995 is Alexander Wurz, who hails from Austria.

If all goes well, it also provides Mercedes with a means to attract Sebastien Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg to their team in the future. Vettel's contract with Red Bull is up after 2011, and Hulkenberg has been Williams' test driver since 2008, meaning that only strong showings over the next couple of years will lure the country's two best young talents to the German manufacturer.

2010 will be an interesting year (to say the least) for Mercedes, with the potential for both Cinderella-esque success and miserable failure on both teams. But regardless of their actual performance come next season, these four drivers give Mercedes the best lineup of any engine manufacturer in the sport.

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Button Confirmed at McLaren, Kimi Gone For 2010, and Other Short Stories

Adam Flinn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:14:14 -0500

In a fairly busy news day for Formula 1, McLaren have confirmed Jenson Button to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton, replacing Heikki Kovalainen to form an all-British team. It will also be the first time where the most recent world champions have been team mates.

And as he has missed out on the McLaren seat, Kimi Raikkonen's manager has announced that the Finn will not be driving in 2010. He will therefore take a sabbatical year, probably do some rallying, and hopefully return to a top team for 2011.

As well as this, there's also a story that a Russian investor has offered to buy out 40% of the Renault team, linking Vitaly Petrov to the second seat alongside Robert Kubica. This could explain why Timo Glock has gone to Manor, while he was the favourite for the position at Renault.

Spa-Francorchamps have also had their racing license renewed, after it was originally suspended because the locals suddenly realized that F1 can be a bit loud.

Donington Park has gone into Administration after its failed attempts to secure the British Grand Prix for 2010.

Luca di Montezemolo has also speculated that he will probably stand down as chairman of FOTA at the end of the year.

Finally, there's a rumor that Michael Schumacher will drive for Mercedes next year.

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Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button Signs Multi-Year Deal With McLaren

Gareth Llewellyn-Stevens — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:39:24 -0500

McLaren has confirmed that Jenson Button will join them on a "multi-year" deal, after Mercedes failed to agree to terms with the world champion.

Button will partner 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton in a dream team to rival Ferrari's line up of former world champion Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, while McLaren retain the numbers 1 and 2 on their cars.

Although unconfirmed by McLaren, it is believed Button has signed a three-year deal worth £18m, before lucrative sponsorship opportunities.

Despite winning the world championship for Brawn GP at the penultimate race of the season, Brawn (now the rebranded Mercedes Grand Prix team) refused to meet Button's demands for a pay raise, leaving McLaren to swoop after their own negotiations with former driver Kimi Raikkonen stalled.

On the move, Button said: "So, although I won the World Championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

"I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.

"Also, I think it’s fantastic that we’ll be forming an all-British line-up. I know that we both fly the flag with pride, and I sincerely hope we can make the whole of the United Kingdom, as well as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes fans across the world, proud."

Raikkonen, who had admitted his 2010 plans were McLaren or nothing, is now expected to take a sabbatical, walking away with a reported £17m salary from Ferrari for the year, with leading world rally teams Ford and Citroen interested in the Finn's services.

Outgoing McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen is now looking for a new team after two seasons with the Woking outfit, while Button's replacement at Mercedes could be Nick Heidfeld, who would partner fellow German Nico Rosberg.

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Mercedes Buys 75 Percent of Brawn, Jenson Button to McLaren for 2010?

Adam Flinn — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:03:11 -0500

Mercedes have bought a 75.1 percent share in Brawn GP and sold their 40 percent holdings in McLaren, Brawn's Web site announced on Monday . The current Brawn shareholders retain a 24.9 percent stake in the team.

The move means that Brawn will be branded as Mercedes Grand Prix for 2010, whilst the company will still supply engines to McLaren and Force India.

Nico Rosberg is expected to be confirmed as a Mercedes driver soon, but there is now much wider discussion on whom world champion Jenson Button will be driving for, with many believing that McLaren is the more favourable option.

With two places available between the teams (Rosberg seems a certainty), the drivers linked with the lucrative seats currently include Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld and Timo Glock. There is also the outside possibility that Heikki Kovalainen will remain at McLaren.

Button's current issue with Brawn/Mercedes is his salary, as discussions seem to have stagnated. However, some believe that McLaren is the more likely to be competitive in 2010, which could also be a factor in Button's decision.

Kimi Raikkonen will only be in Formula One if he can secure a drive that gives him a car capable of winning. But in return for his services, he wants an awful lot of money, which has put McLaren off signing him straight away.

Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld's nationality could help them in securing a Mercedes drive, although Heidfeld has also been linked to McLaren. Both have seen their former employers leave the sport and are currently without a drive for 2010.

UPDATE: Timo Glock has now signed for Manor GP.

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