F1 2017 Silly Season

With the shock retirement of Nico Rosberg out of the Mercedes F1 team . This has created the chance for one individual to move into the best car onto the grid. Pretty simple who do you guys think will take the Mercedes seat and who else will fill the grid of 2017 there is no right or wrong answer just predictions.

They will probably end up with a test driver/ someone in Manor even though they wan't more experience... More experience means Alonso who is taken, Vettel who is just a twat lol, and the RBR drivers are secured.

EDIT: I would have loved to see Alonso somehow make his way into Mercedes.

My prediction is Bottas to Merc and then Wherlein to Williams.

It makes sense i honestly don't believe Pascal is ready yet. Bottas would be a good driver to compete with Hamilton and Pascal can face off against Stroll in the Williams. Also give him a chance of compete against Ocon in the Force India as they finished 4th and 5th in the teams championship this year.
It benefits Mercedes because Bottas is a very talented driver who doesn't have a high wage/buyout fee like Alonso/Vettel would.
It benefits Williams because it gives the team a bit of a youth boost kinda like what Verstappen has done with Red Bull. Could also get interest from newer and younger viewers of the sport.

I don't think Wehrlein/Stroll is a good partnership. Stroll has zero F1 experience, Wehrlein has one season. Although Williams have a myriad of experience in F1, nothing really beats good driver feedback.
If Williams want to compete, they need more than just a young kid who might be quick. They need to retain (or hire) an experienced driver to accompany Stroll.
Toto has stated he doesn't think Wehrlein is ready yet (before the Rosberg announcement handily, he gave genuine thoughts as he didn't think the situation would be upon him!), and I don't think he'd want someone who might push Hamilton's buttons like Rosberg did. I think Mercedes will go with an experienced stop-gap for one year with a view to securing a big name like Vettel or Ricciardo in 2018.
He's not a popular choice, but I still think Paul Di Resta fits the mould. He's very good in a PR sense, won't rock the boat, would probably be OK with being number two to Hamilton if need be as well. He's quick enough with what will arguably be the best car on the grid again, pretty consistent and has the ties with Mercedes that go back a fair way.
The only other guys I'd LIKE to see in the car, but both are zero chance, are Alonso and Mick Schumacher.
I can't see Alonso dropping McLaren after he's put in so much work, and he'd be an expensive buy out. He'd really rock the boat too, especially after his tumultuous 2007.
Schumacher won't have enough points to qualify for a super license, so that rules him out. Man it would be cool to see the Schumacher name back in F1 though. He is probably a couple of years away though.

Interestingly, Schumacher is driving for Prema in Formula 4 who have really strong ties to the Ferrari academy...maybe we'll see a Schumacher back in a Ferrari before too long. He recently tested an F3 car as well as was apparently very quick.

Dont think it will happen, but Alonso to Merc as Mclaren do have a very handy 3rd driver at the ready. Maybe the Alonso & Jenson and others knew what Nico had in mind, and Button had his "I retire...kinda....sorta" moment.
Otherwise, I rekon Mercs new driver will be either German or loaded with cash ....or both

Mercedes don't need cash, so I don't think that will be a factor for them.

Pretty sure they wouldnt say no though

i think Muggo defs deserves the ride

I'd give Wehrlein the seat. Everyone seems to forget his incredible 10th place in Austria, which to me was more impressive than what Bianchi did at Monaco in 2014, not to mention the amount of times he's dragged the car into Q2 and knocked on the door of the midfield. If Verstappen can be promoted to a top team at the age of 18, why not Pascal?

Mercedes have reportedly approached Williams and put in a bid to buy out Bottas, which has been rejected... so far...

Most bookies have Bottas as the favourite to take the Mercedes seat, which to me is quite logical. Only issue I see with this that Williams would want an experienced driver such as Bottas, to partner the new guy Stroll. I think that if Bottas does go to Mercedes, then its likely that Wehrlien will go to Williams.

Although the bookies have Bottas as the favourite, I'd prefer to see Nico Hulkenberg get the seat, however Renault seem to be blocking that move, and once again he seems to have the worlds worst luck and miss out on a top drive in F1.

The other big name to be thrown around is Fernando Alonso, but i just cant see Mercedes wanting him paired with their golden child Lewis Hamilton. Both Hamilton and Alonso have massive egos, and both are great drivers in their own separate teams, but we all saw egos collide in 2007,and I just cant see Mercedes wanting Alonso when they are still very pro Hamilton.

EDIT: The guy I really want to see in F1 (either in the Mercedes seat or elsewhere as someone moves into the Mercedes seat) is Felix Rosenqvist, and seeing as he is a Mercedes development driver who this year has been successful in Blancplain GT racing, Indylights and last year F3 racing, I think he'd be an awesome driver to see in F1

As pathetic as it is to miss out on F1 for this reason... but i think Felix is putting all his eggs into the Formula E basket. He is doing well so fair play....
In regards to Fernando i don't think Ego's would collide no more. Alonso isn't the same diehard competitor he once was. He is now maturing into a really quite relaxed racer. Damn fast as always however. Although i doubt Alonso would go to Merc for it to be an issue anyway.

It's likely that if you put Alonso into a championship contending car, his attitude might change.

More than anything, I think Mercedes want to replace the technical feedback that Nico provided, a big part of why they are making a play for Bottas (and why Williams won't part with him easily). With the new cars, they are going to need all of the experienced driver input they can get to be competitive with Red Bull.

that raises the question also. does this shorten the gap between the Mercs and the RBR cars more. Obviously they are down a very good driver, but they will still have Lewis in the box seat, but do we think the loss of nico will slow their development more. meaning that Ricciardo and Verstappen will be even closer to Lewis than we first thought?

Yes, Lewis is a fast driver, but may be a bit more like a Nigel Mansel where he shows up to drive fast then has other things to do in between.

Every team needs at least 1 more technical driver who understands what the engineers need to develop the car.

More proof as to why Williams will never add to their amount of championships.
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/massa-accepts-offer-to-stay-at-williams-in-2017-860616/

Williams has turned into a joke of a team. First taking 80 million of a unknown driver with 1 season of F3. Then retaining Massa for next season, He's 35 for god sakes Why not somebody like Alex Lynn or Pascal Wehrlein young potential talents who have been overseen by someone who won't win races and will struggle to score points next year and is clearly passed his used by date.

It pains me as a Williams fan, but it's true, ever since they burnt their bridges with BMW (seriously how the hell do you lose a works deal to Sauber?!?) they've grown further and further apart from the team Frank ruled with an iron fist. A total laughing stock. Freak win in 2012 aside, they've achieved sweet FA since 2004 and that wll not change with this driver lineup. $troll has no place in Formula One and honestly neither does Massa. I'll be shocked if they place higher than 7th in the standings next year.

Don't forget they've lost Pat Symonds too so Aero development next season could be slow... they have nothing going for them bar the Mercedes power unit.