[morini]

I wasnt implying this had anything to do with Lewis...... world optics are a biggie for the Daimler/Merc brand and I didnt/dont think it would look good from the outside to lay off 15,000 staff & reducing costs/spending while spunking mega bucks for the services of one single person...even if that person IS Lewis Hamilton. 

Interesting but short sighted view IMO and I doubt Daimler / Ineos / Toto are thinking that way. None of those 15,000 unfortunate unemployed individuals will generate future revenue in the same way someone with the huge marketing reach that Lewis Hamilton has could. By talking about worker redundancies and "brand marketing potential" (in the same breath) you are comparing apples and oranges TBH, it is a different sphere of operating a large corporation. Business doesn't really work that way anyway, reducing costs may well be necessary for Daimler in the short term, but they know the value of effective marketing in the long term. If I were Lewis Hamilton I would not undervalue myself simply because the world is going through a rough patch. You are at your peak, get the best price you can fella! Unless we all want to sell up and live in a socialist dictatorship!

I'd offer my services as his manager, but something tells me he is a big boy and already knows his own value 

From Merc (Daimler) / Ineos / Toto perspective then in a pure business sense it's a simple "return on investment" equation. If they pay Lewis Hamilton (say) £300 million over the next three years will they recoup that outlay and get a decent roi? I'd say "yes, and then some".

Pay him what he wants and get on with it. It really is as simple as that. 

For those that think George Russell is a viable alternative for 2021 I would say take a reality check. Maybe George could actually win the 2021 WDC if the car remains dominant (remains to be seen if he has the consistency and he'd have to beat VB first), but in a dogfight with RBR I am not sure he has the experience to fight off a hungry Max Verstappen. The key point is most people around the world would have no f*cking idea who George Russell was. Marketing wise he's not in the same league, sorry and all that.

Like I said in another thread, if there is a sticking point with SLH contract it's not about money.

Daimler are reducing staff not because of covid (although the industry as a whole are indeed suffering) but to streamline & increase effeciency in line with going green in the future and moving towards fully electric vehicles.

We are talking about F1 here, which isn't an electric series, hence that comment isn't really relevant to this particular discussion (in my eyes). F1 future will probably be hydrogen power, or perhaps some other emerging technology (but no doubt I'll be dead before then).

[PapaofGags]

Enjoyed reading through the posts, my Friday night getting messy view? 

Mercedes will pay him what he wants, quote Toto "Lewis is a rock star driver"

No other driver on the grid is as saleable or marketable & produce the amount of advertising Lewis can, simple example if he puts on *interesting* clothes he's on the front page of loads of papers around the world. 

Lewis's name will forever be linked to Mercedes so every read/click they get free advertising.

Not to mention he's a 7 x WDC & actually quite good. 

[The Professor]

Agree with papaofgags and Morini here. FWIW I'm also against driver salary caps.

This old article is worth a read if you missed it first time

https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-hamil...alary-cap/