The 2015 Formula 1 season has been an undoubted triumph for the Mercedes F1 Team.
Off the back of a dominant 2014 campaign, the German marquee took a second consecutive constructors’ title, whilst Lewis Hamilton eased his way to a third drivers’ championship.
Mercedes superiority is further underlined by their points tally for 2015, two higher than what they achieved in 2014, despite the resurgence of Ferrari and the absence of a double points race such as Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
However, since the curtain fell on another entertaining instalment of premier single-seater racing, Mercedes have been embroiled in rumoured internal frictions and threats to sack both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg if they do not begin to build a more harmonious relationship.
Threats
“We struggle sometimes in winning races on Sunday and having always one [driver] upset and this spills over into the team. It is something that needs to stop,” Wolff told Motorsport.com.
“We took the decision of having two evenly matched drivers in order to make the team progress faster and better. Going forward, we will consider if it is the best set-up for the team. Personality and character within the team is a crucial ingredient for the team success.
“If we feel that it is not aligned with the general consensus, spirit and philosophy within the team, we might consider that when we take a decision, in terms of the driver line-up going forward. It is important to have talented and fast drivers in the car. But we want to work with nice guys.”
Whilst Wolff’s threats did little to intimidate Hamilton, who defended his relationship with Rosberg, sighting the success the team has shared since 2014, the Mercedes boss reiterated openly that he was not afraid to cut his ties with either driver if they did not toe the line.
“If it were to become detrimental to the team [the relationship between Hamilton and Rosberg] that would mean that we would not maintain the long-term set-up in the team with the drivers,” Wolff said at the Autosport Awards dinner.
“It’s very important to keep the spirit within the team and the competition between Nico and Lewis has been very fierce, very competitive at times.
“It’s understandable because they are fighting in a car that is capable of winning the championship against each other. The guy in the other car cannot be your friend, but we need to be careful that it doesn’t spill over on both sides of the garage. We’ve seen teams in the past where there is a competition being created that is not good for the dynamics within the team.”
Wolff’s comments may just be the catalyst for change between the two drivers, which has turned from being fascinating to childish, culminating in Hamilton accusing Mercedes of keeping Rosberg happy and the latter throwing a cap at the reigning world champion after the United States Grand Prix.
However, the confidence in laying down threats to two drivers at the top of their game may stem from the abundance of driver options outside of Hamilton and Rosberg, with emerging talents that are within the Mercedes driver academy and the possibility of acquiring unsettled former world champions.
Wehrlein
Firstly, should Mercedes decide to hire from within, they can immediately promote the current DTM champion and reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein, who already has plenty of mileage in a Formula One car with both his current employers and testing with Force India.
The German, who took five podiums on his way to be crowned the 2015 DTM champion, has already been heavily linked to the newly Mercedes-powered Manor team for 2016 but admitted that he was happy to wait for his F1 opportunity.
“At the moment, I really don’t know,” Wehrlein told Sky Sports when asked if he had a F1 seat for 2015.
“I hope I will get a drive in Formula 1, but there are not many cockpits left for next year so it won’t be easy.
“I hope that we can find something and if not, I think I will do something similar to this year, so DTM and reserve driver and a few tests and then hopefully 2017.”
The 21-year old has shown fantastic consistency in a touring car series which has become a fantastic breeding ground for young race drivers, with tyre management a key to success along with F1-based racing technology such as the drag reduction systems (DRS).
Wehrlein has all the talent required to enter F1 and make an immediate impact, however he isn’t the only Mercedes emerging star catching the eyes of the motorsport fraternity.
Ocon
The newly-crowned GP3 champion Esteban Ocon, who defeated current Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Max Vertsappen to the 2014 European Formula 3 title, is quickly forging his way up the motorsport ladder and asking questions of the Mercedes hierarchy.
The Frenchman showed incredible consistency in his maiden GP3 championship in 2015, taking 14 podiums from a possible 18, including victory on his debut in Barcelona and an unprecedented 10 consecutive second place finishes.
Whilst such consistency is an important aspect of becoming successful in F1, a driver must also show immediacy and realisation to what is required to be victorious, a trait Ocon showed in the GP3 series finale in Abu Dhabi.
After being denied victory in the first GP3 race of the weekend with a time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, Ocon started fifth in race two behind title rival Luca Ghiotto in fourth, knowing he had to beat the Italian to secure the title. Overtaking in GP3 is very difficult and the Frenchman, fully aware of this, barged his way past Ghiotto at the start and produced a measured performance to stay ahead and win the championship.
The 19-year old has, much like fellow Mercedes junior Wehrlein, shown his credentials for a full-time F1 seat. However, in such a difficult and crowded driver market, Ocon is yet to discover where he will be applying his trade in 2016.
“I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but I think the tendency is more towards DTM,” Ocon told Autosport.
“If I had to choose between DTM and GP2, I would go towards DTM. It’s not decided yet, maybe it will be GP2, I don’t know.”
Mercedes may have plenty of driver options from within their own ranks, however, should they wish to hire a more experienced patron of the sport, they may still be able to acquire the services of a former world champion.
Alonso
McLaren’s 2015 woes have been well documented, with growing driver disharmony, arguments at board level and criticism levied at the engine supplier, all of which was further underlined by poor results on track.
Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button appear to be at a cross roads in their respective careers, do they exit from F1 and seek pastures new in the World Endurance Championship or continue to develop with McLaren in the hope that it will produce a World Championship winning car.
Such thoughts would particularly irk the two-time world champion Alonso, who is still considered by many as the most complete driver on the F1 grid.
Since leaving Renault at the end of 2006, Alonso clashed with both Hamilton and McLaren bosses which eventually led to the 34-year old exiting the Woking-based squad to return to the French car manufacturer for 2008.
In 2010, Alonso joined Ferrari and came within a whisker of winning the title in his first season with the Scuderia, only to be held back by Vitaly Petrov in the car he drove just one season before.
The Spaniard’s move to join McLaren has been another slice of misfortune, with expectations to challenge the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari for “best-of-the-rest” behind the dominant Mercedes failing to materalise.
Given a competitive car, Alonso still has the capability of winning another F1 world title and this opinion is shared by the vast majority of the F1 fraternity, especially the bosses at Mercedes.
At the beginning of 2015, with Hamilton yet to agree his long-term contract with Mercedes, the German car manufacturer were already casting their eye at Alonso as his potential replacement.
When asked by Gazzetta dello Sport in January of this year the prospects of Hamilton not signing a new deal, Wolff stated: “I’m optimistic, the priority is to carry on with these drivers. Should it be impossible, then Alonso represents the top alternative, followed by [Valtteri] Bottas.”
“He [Alonso] is a dangerous rival with any car, if he is at the wheel of a car that can finish sixth, he will take it to third place.”
High praise from a team boss who has no affiliation with Alonso, however his reputation is as such that, should Hamilton and Rosberg no longer be a viable option, the former Ferrari driver would be a prime candidate for a Mercedes seat.
Wolff’s threats to drop Hamilton or Rosberg over their fragmented relationship, at this moment in time, should be viewed as minor. Despite the pair being far from away from what could be considered friends, results continue to be positive and, until the friction becomes a burden to that success, there will be little desire to change the driver line-up.
However, the options for Mercedes at the top of the grid remain plentiful, whether within their own driver ranks or with former disgruntled world champions. Mercedes hold the high ground with their competitive car and power unit and both Hamilton and Rosberg will need to abide by their rules if they wish to retain their advantage on the field.
