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Just when you thought there was nothing left to be squeezed out of the 2016 season, Mercedes might be about to buy Lewis Hamilton a fully-fledged Finnish garage-mate in the form of Valtteri Bottas.
While nothing will be confirmed until 3 January, it looks likely that Williams will take Mercedes’ latest deal in light of Felipe Massa’s agreement to come out of retirement to help the team develop its 2017 car while rookie teammate Lance Stroll gets his big boy pants on.
Make no mistake, that Ferrari was able to tread water at the Paris end of the grid for so long since their last championship in 2007 owes as much to Massa’s workhorse mentality as it does Fernando Alonso’s sublime talents behind the wheel.
But the question is: how would Massa fair after flicking his mental switch into full sabbatical mode?
Given Massa is the type of driver who thrives in a relaxed environment, it could very well turn out to be a stellar season for the Brazilian veteran. With nothing to lose and having already traversed the emotional roller-coaster of ‘retirement’, we could be in for something special from Felipe, who would enter his – dare we say it – final season without pressure.
That said, rumours that Rob Smedley, Williams’ head of performance engineering, may be shifting roles at Grove could prove to be a destabilising factor, the Briton having been an integral part of Massa’s development as a driver since his early days at Ferrari. Likewise Pat Symonds’ departure to make way for the arrival of Mercedes defector Paddy Lowe will take some time to gel with the technical department.
Williams’ historical dependence on high speed downforce will also require a rethink if they’re to be regular frontrunners on a calendar still dominated by Hermann Tilke’s penchant for third-gear corners.
Hearing that Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne chose not to follow through on a proposal to hire Lowe on the basis that Maranello ‘doesn’t need a Ross Brawn type’ speaks volumes about his proclivity for self-serving mismanagement. It’s no coincidence that – according to a reliable source – there are many in the red camp seeking exodus.
Renault too are said to be in a similar state of unruliness – however, the appointment of Rob White to the role of operations director is a step in the right direction given his intrinsic role in harmonising the Enstone team’s chassis, engine and aero departments between 2004 and 2005.
Back to Mercedes, and while the cyclical nature of F1 suggests the Silver Arrows have a narrow window left at the top of the pecking order, even the increased dependence on chassis performance should see Brackley in a competitive position. Valtteri Bottas would recognise this, and there’s no doubt he’ll have to raise his game against a wounded Lewis Hamilton for a stab at the title.
While it could be argued that Bottas comprehensively outperformed Massa at Williams, I do have small doubts about the Finn’s killer instinct.
After rolling over for Hamilton like a dog with an itchy belly from a winning position at Silverstone in 2015, Bottas argued that it wasn’t worth fighting for position knowing the Mercedes had a clear advantage – but is it ever really not a good time? Knowing a driver requires a carrot dangled in front of him to perform shouldn’t make a team manager reaching for their chequebook.
Mercedes, however, can’t be too picky. They don’t need a driver that will cause the team headaches, but they do need one that is quick enough to push Hamilton, who is also prone to the odd ‘not quite feeling it today’ moment, and see off strategies from closing rivals Red Bull, a team that should be much closer to Mercedes in 2017.
The algorithms at Brackley to be working overtime over the winter.
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