Former Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers has joined the camp of opinion suspecting that Mercedes are set to pull their team from the top flight, suggesting the modern Silver Arrows project has run its course and peaked.
At present, no team or manufacturer is officially committed to Formula 1 beyond 2020, but top outfits Ferrari and Red Bull have at least signed up their key drivers for the long-term future.
The future is less clear for Mercedes, with rumours swirling around Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff after the outfit’s six consecutive titles.
“It is somewhat uncertain what they will do in the long term,” Lammers told F1Maximaal. “I certainly don’t think it’s unthinkable that they’ll say: It has been fantastic, but it’s time to do something else.”
Lammers thinks part of the issue for Mercedes is that, after so much winning, the perception now is that the German team can only lose, “I think the chance of further dominance is statistically small. Although they are still impressive, you can perhaps say that Mercedes has now reached its peak.”
Indeed, many are predicting that Red Bull-Honda is now looking like the potential favourite for 2020, and Lammers is one of those, “Honda just has to perform and they are doing that.
“Verstappen has signed on the basis of technical and sporting confidence. With this (new contract), Max and his team are showing their confidence in Honda and Red Bull,” concluded the Dutchman who made 21 Grand Prix starts during his F1 career.