Lewis at McLaren in 3 years time?

[piperurhy]

I think Lewis has maybe 2-3 years left at McLaren, tops.

He has been there since he was a kid. Sure they've given him great opportunities (most of the time), but with potential openings at Red Bull and Ferrari in the next couple of years, doesn't anyone think that surely at some point he'll naturally want to move on, and try a new challenge?

Or will he stick with them, rejecting big offers which undoubtedly will come his way?

[Robbobnob]

I think we will see a decision made by Europe, if his car is good enough to compete he'll stay, if not time to look at other avenues.

As a Driver it is your ultimate goal to win, and part of that is making sure you have the right team around you to do so.

[flynfrog]

I don't see any other team really wanting him that can pony up the cash. There are better drivers for less money. He cant even keep the front wing on the car. He is a MCerc product he cant leave them at this point

[n smikle]

Hamilton doesn't race for money. Just look at the guy.. he makes money from so many other places. 7.5 million is actually an investment that turns over profits to any team that hires Hamilton. Mclaren is making so much money from the guy it's almost robbery.

As soon as he snags that Mclaren F1 LM from Ron Dennis he will seriously look for other options.

Newey is the man he ultimately wants to side with. And Newey and Horner being big Hamilton fans.. it is within the possibility.

After that I think he'll do a stint at Ferrari one at Williams, one at Merc then back home to Mclaren.

[Gridlock]

After that I think he'll do a stint at Ferrari one at Williams, one at Merc then back home to Mclaren.

On F1 2011 on his PS3?

[Websta]

I just want to see a big team mate rivalry. 2007 Hamilton vs Alonso was great, Webber vs. Vettel in 2009/2010 was probably even better as they were both competing for their first championship. I would love to see him vs Vettel in an utterly dominant Red Bull in the future.

[CHT]

I think Lewis will make a good team mate for Kimi. So Lewis to Lotus.

[Just_a_fan]

Wow, this thread will soon be descending in to full on fanboy/hater territory I reckon.

Actually, scratch that, it already has...

Another pointless thread then.

[banibhusan]

How about Lewis and Massa in one team? That'll be something like death race.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

After that I think he'll do a stint at Ferrari one at Williams, one at Merc then back home to Mclaren.

Williams?

[richard_leeds]

Out of interest, and to also keep this in the realm of evidence based discussion rather than speculation.....

F1 has a history of top drivers changing teams fairly regularly. What's the longest time that a WDC driver has stayed with one team, either pre or post WDC? That'll put this conversation in context.

I guess the longest is Schumacher at Ferrari, from 1996 to 2006 - 11 seasons

Hamilton has been at McLaren from 2007 to 2012 - that's 6 seasons

mnmracer would know the answer....

[mnmracer]

Yes, der Michael indeed. He also holds the overall record for most races with one team.

[richard_leeds]

What about any other WDC? Is Lewis in second place for longevity with one team?

[raymondu999]

IIRC, for drivers who've only ever driven for 1 team, Lewis has done the most races

[mnmracer]

In this case it's hard looking back at other drivers and what they did, because Hamilton is quite unique in his bond with McLaren. There are plenty of instances of champions having and keeping a long bond with a team (from Clark to Schumacher to Hakkinen), but I see a different personality in Lewis to care enough about team matters. It will come down to what is important for Lewis: does he feel close to McLaren and does he want to bring them (back) to a championship, or does he just want the fastest car to take another title, regardless of which car.

Personally, I think with Lewis' attitude he won't really care about McLaren in a bonded way; certainly not with Ron Dennis gone. What will be tricky though, is if he does decide to move to another team and he isn't given a competitive car right away. I see an explosive situation coming from there. While it'd be very entertaining for us to watch, I hope for Lewis that he keeps his head cool and finally finds some order in his management.