F1 2021

[steamship]

Originally Posted by sarg

some quite strong rumours that both Toto and Lewis will not be back

I've seen several videos speculating about Lewis quitting the sport and even those hinting that Toto and maybe Mercedes would walk away. However, I would put it down to a combination of anger at how the season finale ended and a concealed possible threat to the FIA to sort themselves out, or else.

Lewis is a 7 times world champion. He knows the ups and down of the sport, and he still has that fire in him to achieve more. What better for him than to surpass Michael Schumacher's total. Would he really be prepared to walk away from all that because of the outcome of one race?

Likewise for Toto and Mercedes. If Lewis walks away, they need another top driver to take his spot, along with Russell, and the season starts again in three months. If Toto walks, Mercedes need a new team principal. I suppose Mercedes could decide to walk away and take their engines with them (as you mentioned earlier), which would really screw up F1. That's why I think it's all posturing towards the FIA (and maybe Liberty Media) - Lewis walks, Toto walks, Mercedes walk. You're now faced with a grid of 18 cars, 6 of which don't have engines, and three months to sort it all out before the flag drops, and you can't just drop in a Ferrari or Honda/Red Bull engine in it's place.