The world of politics has always been the great divider in Formula One. Like a disease, it spreads itself throughout the grid, infecting the minds of every F1 team boss and driver alike, resulting in unhinged psychological warfare both on and off the track. Luckily for Lance Stroll, money also has a major part to play in a F1 drivers success, and when combined with his billionaire fathers perfect political positioning, his seat in next seasons Mercedes is becoming much closer to a reality.
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| Lance Stroll - planetf1.com |
There is no question, the seat at Mercedes is one that it is in hot contention. Not only does it guarantee a place further up the grid, but also grants it’s drivers a shot at every Formula One drivers boyhood dream, a chance at a world title. For the last 4 seasons, it has been believed that Mercedes youngster George Russell was first in line for the Mercedes throne and has performed superbly in his time with Williams. Just this season alone, Russell has only failed to qualify outside the top 15 on one occasion, and even put his Williams into Q3 in Austria, a feat not accomplished by a Williams driver since Monza in 2018. In short, if anyone deserves a shot at a title and a seat in one of the grids most dominant constructors, it’s George Russell.
Unfortunately, like life, F1 is anything but fair. Russell has done everything required and expected of him as a Williams driver and a move to Mercedes would shoot him straight into title contention. However, for Mercedes, this would only cause more harm than good (not to mention a massive headache for Lewis).
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| George Russell - gpfans.com |
Back in 2016, the rivalry that stole the spotlight was the season long battle between team mates Lewis Hamilton and fellow Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg. Throughout the season, Toto Wolf was subject to numerous heated discussions and crashes between his drivers, costing Mercedes a fortune in repair costs and a hell of a lot of stress. After Nico’s eventual victory and subsequent retirement, Mercedes employed the talents of Valterri Bottas for one very specific reason - he was of no threat to Lewis title hopes. In his five years playing Robin to Hamiltons Batman, Bottas has won just nine races against his team mates 78 and has never been anywhere close in terms of title contention. In other words, Bottas has been the perfect team mate.
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| Valtteri Bottas - planetf1.com |
Since signing on for a further two years at Mercedes, Hamilton’s position within the team has escalated to new heights for favouritism, leaving Bottas to pick up the pieces behind him. Now, with Bottas falling further behind, the time has come to replace him with a more sustainable option, and Lance Stroll seems the most obvious choice. Stroll has shown signs of being quick throughout this career in F1, resulting in three podiums and a bizarre pole position in 2020’s Turkish Grand Prix. However, it’s his sheer mediocrity that separates him from the rest of the contenders in 2022. As Hamiltons new number two, Stroll would be expected to parade behind the seven time world champion and clear the way for his team mate to collect as many points as possible. How is this any different to what he does right now?
For Toto, this is the most ideal situation and due to his tendencies as F1’s most stoic German team boss, it’s the option he’ll most likely go with. He gains a young middle-of-the-road racing driver with serious financial backing, and and a continued promise to Lewis Hamilton that his championship hopes will be under absolutely no threat (from his team mate at least).
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