It’s hard to imagine any other team residing atop F1, but sustained Mercedes’ dominance shouldn’t be taken as a given. Here’s why.
The 2020 Formula One’s world championship has been decided with both the Constructors and drivers’ titles in AMG Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton hands, respectively. So what’s next for this Silver Arrows team?
The highest priority is getting Hamilton re-signed.
In Mercedes’ favor, there aren’t many spots left on the grid for Hamilton to relocate, and (besides) no other team can rival what Mercedes brings to the sport. The Silver Arrows are, in a few words, the best of the best. Then there’s Hamilton’s quest to continue driving for the “Sake of Human Rights,” which includes speaking out about injustice. He has already protested a night race scheduled in Saudi Arabia next year. So there’s every reason that Hamilton will remain with excellence as he tries to break the world title record held by Michael Schumacher. What’s more, the next contract will likely be Hamilton’s last.
Beyond Hamilton, there are questions about CEO Tito Wolff. There are rumblings (some from Wolff himself) that he might leave the team for another assignment–most notably the new Aston Martin team, which will take over the pink car known as Racing Point. The car will race with a Mercedes power plant and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on board for 2021. Making that transition even more probable is that Wolff knows the team’s chairman, Laurence Stroll.
So if Wolff eventually leaves, what does that leave Hamilton? It could lead to Hamilton’s retirement, or he could transition to another competitive platform. E-sports, a project with which he is already involved, is one possibility.
With Hamilton’s and Wolff’s future undetermined at the moment, it is possible that Mercedes could lose its bearings from within. And while it’s true that Mercedes has no rival at the moment, the F1 landscape will be different in a couple of seasons. Those differences will make it possible for other competitors to close in–and Red Bull with Max Verstappen, in particular, come to mind.
Yes, it’s hard to imagine any other team residing atop F1, but nothing remains the same forever. That means sustained Mercedes’ dominance shouldn’t be taken as a given.
