Sergey Sirotkin, Williams, Hungaroring, 2018

Mercedes in talks with Williams over gearbox deal

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In the round-up: Toto Wolff says that Mercedes are in talks with Williams over a potential gearbox supply deal for the 2019 F1 season.

What they say

Are Mercedes set to become a gearbox supplier to Williams next season?

Well, we are in discussions about that. They are an engine client of ours. It’s not a huge thing to increase that to a gearbox. Nothing is signed. Nothing is done. We need to decide in the next few weeks because obviously the chassis design is at an advanced stage for Williams. So we’ll see how that pans out.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

After Lance Stroll was forced to start from the pitlane yesterday due to a front wing change, Jonathan Parkin longs for simpler times.

It’s situations like this though that make me wish they had left qualifying like it was in 2002. Not only was it easier to understand but if a driver transgressed in some fashion the stewards could delete his fastest time during the session for instance. The point was at the end of the one hour you knew what the grid was, it didn’t descend into a Mongolian Cluster Fudge of penalties like we had in Monza last year when only the polesitter started in the place he qualified.
Jonathan Parkin

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On this day in F1

  • On this day in 1978 Mario Andretti won at the Hockenheimreing while Nelson Piquet made his F1 debut

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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8 comments on “Mercedes in talks with Williams over gearbox deal”

  1. Profile Photo

    NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
    30th July 2018, 8:28

    Exactlly. Williams should copy the bejesus out of Mercedes, just like Sauber and Haas copy Ferrari.

    Especially Haas are reaping rewards from this style.

    1. Milky White
      30th July 2018, 8:44

      Could not agree more. Reallocate the extra design resource spent on a gearbox that does not even have a carbon casing yet!, and put that onto chassis and things that make performance.

      1. Profile Photo

        ColdFly (@)
        30th July 2018, 8:59

        and things that make performance.

        Driver recruitment :P

  2. Profile Photo

    Jere (@jerejj)
    30th July 2018, 9:15

    I disagree with the COTD. There’s nothing wrong with the current qualifying format, in fact, overall, it’s far better than the one used most recently in 2002, or the 2003-05 format for that matter.

    1. Profile Photo

      ColdFly (@)
      30th July 2018, 9:45

      @jerejj, I agree in disagreeing with the COTD.
      Current quali rules are as good as they’ve ever been, and grid penalties / parc ferme rules (which caused Stroll’s pit lane start) are independent of the quali format.

      1. nase
        30th July 2018, 10:59

        @coldfly
        I concur. I fail to see what’s wrong with taking a single car off the grid after it’s been damaged beyond repair (within the rules). Either you’re able to field a car that’s identical (for all matters and purposes) to the one you qualified with, or it’s a pit lane start for you. The qualifying format doesn’t have anything to do with that.

    2. Martin
      30th July 2018, 23:34

      +1

      Penalties are orthogonal to the qualifying format so half the COTD is irrelevant, regardless the current qualifying format is better than anything else I have seen in the last 20+ years. Imagine Hungary’s qualifying conditions with any other format, it would have sucked all the excitement out of it.

      Current qualifying format has it all, action across the hour regardless of conditions, the potential for upset grids without it feeling too artificial or random. Strategy potential with top 10 starting on their Q2 tyres. The excitement of Q3 where drivers have to go back out and nail their laps again. I honestly can’t think of a change they could make that would give us a better qualifying format.

  3. Profile Photo

    Thomas Bennett (@felipemassadobrasil)
    30th July 2018, 16:31

    So Ocon will finally trigger the silly season proper. For the midfield at least…

Comments are closed.