Quote:
Originally Posted by Roman
Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK
...the fact that Hammy left to Ferrari took all of us by surprise...
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Not all of us. 
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The key to connecting the dots to figure out early 2023 what Hamilton was expected to do: to know how relentlessly Wolff and Ratcliffe (INEOS) were/are trying to sign Verstappen. And in 2025, they're getting closer to their target. Notice how consistently kind Wolff remains
vis-à-vis Verstappen and how cold he interacts with Russell (pole! race win! Wolff unfazed) + how Russell frantically tries, with statements and performance, to secure a Mercedes seat for 2026. Verstappen decides over Russell's 2026 future at Mercedes.
Educated guess: the very moment that Verstappen ran into Russell in the dying stages of the Barcelona GP, something must have snapped inside his mind (thoughts on RBR and on Russell). A defining moment. Very exceptionally, Verstappen wasn't in the mood for the usual post-race RBR team debriefing. Last time that happened, must have been Silverstone 2021 (for obvious reasons). Let's leave it for now at 'After the race, Verstappen left'.
"Helmut Marko pondered whether bad blood between Verstappen and Russell exacerbated the issue.
“There have already been issues in the past,” Marko said. “It was unnecessary, and a lot of points lost.
“But, because of all the incidents and wrong decisions that unfortunately happened, emotions simply got the better of him.
“And don’t forget – he’s already got a bit of a feud going on with Russell!”
Such were the emotions on the day, Red Bull avoided a “heated” debrief with the reigning World Champion, Marko saying: “Everyone has their own way. And when Max is in a mood like that, the best thing is to leave him alone.”"
https://www.planetf1.com/news/all-he...sh-gp-meltdown
Early bird 7 March 2023 post:
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1#post29912611
