Anyone who was following Formula One this year knew this was a matter of "when," not "if:" Mercedes has their Constructor's Championship now. They've done it in Sochi. Congratulations for dominating the season, Mercedes.
Earning 565 constructor's points to their closest competitor Red Bull's 342, Mercedes' constructor's win came as a surprise to absolutely no one, ever, unless they really have not been following F1 at all this year.
Maybe you can surprise that kid who doesn't follow motorsports and has a beater C-class that never runs quite right with the news that Mercedes just dominated the pinnacle of motorsport all year long. I don't know. You're not going to get a rise out of any F1 fans, that's for sure.
The top 5 finishers at Sochi (Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas, Button and Magnussen) were all using Mercedes power. When the new engine regulations came out, Mercedes was the manufacturer who nailed 'em, forcing all of the other companies to play catch-up.
As such, the other guys are asking for an engine un-freeze to level the playing field with Mercedes and possibly Honda. Currently, the only engine changes that can be made during the season are related to safety or reliability. Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci swears up and down that it has nothing to do with catching up with Mercedes, arguing that the freeze is stifling innovation instead. Uh-huh. Yeah, sure.
Predictably, Mercedes' executive director Toto Wolff is against it, claiming that changing the rules now could cause more problems than it solves. In a quote via ESPN F1:
It's a difficult one, because I strongly believe we need stability in the regulations. Personally, I'm not keen on it because more costs will incur. Equally, how can you make sure everybody is on the same spec?
It triggers so many consequences and you open up a can of worms by doing that. We are trying to be productive. I think it is [about] not forgetting your own agenda but doing it for the benefit of Formula One.
So, tell us your thoughts: will Mercedes continue their streak of domination next year? Will Williams continue to improve and become a major player in F1 again? How do you think the possible engine un-freeze could affect silly season driver changes? Will Rosberg's hair continue to be fabulous?
As much as Bernie loves to propose ideas just for the sake of shaking things up, I'm not so sure Mercedes' total smackdown on the grid is safe next year. We shall see.
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