Hamilton to leave for Mercedes 2013

[Shrieker]

Read much English? There I made it easier for you - read my previosu post and your quote within and then go tell me where I said that

quit trying to re-write history, the season isn't over yet, wait till it is, then you may begin to cover his success in 2012

You said 2012 isn't over, Schumacher will catch/beat Rosberg etc. And I said the season isn't over, Rosberg will catch/beat Schumacher (quali wise) before it's over.

Sheesh.

[myurr]

like i said this guy will never win another championship.... if next year car is competitive he will lose fight with Nico. A person who think about money and fame never win something big in his career. He was lucky in 2008 but now he must fight with top drivers like Alonso Vettel or Kimi.

Enjoy your money with Nicole but forget performance!! a new David Beckham full of money but without titles =D>

the last time hamilton had a bad car he spent the season playing bumper cars with massa which makes me suspect we might see another season from lewis like that if the car is as bad as it was the last few seasons.

something makes me think lewis made a really bad mistake and the people around him werent giving the advice he needed.

his dad must think lewis has lost the plot

Then again this is the forth year in a row that McLaren have failed to give him a realistic shot at the title - be it because of poor cars or stupid operational errors and reliability. Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result is the very definition of stupidity. So maybe Mercedes won't work out, but you know at some point you simply need to roll the dice and try something different.

McLaren may have arguably the best car this year, but based on Button's results you really wouldn't know it. This is where I feel McLaren have really messed up, in letting go of the driver that has shown what their car is capable of.

Button is 23 points behind Hamilton DESPITE all the points that Hamilton has lost through no fault of his own, with Button losing far fewer points in this way. Perez has made something of a speciality of qualifying just outside the top 10, or not setting a time within the top 10, and then running the counter strategy. You simply can't do that in a top car if you want to mount a serious championship challenge rather than hope for the odd win if your tyre strategy plays out better than the competitions.

[internetf1fan]

Today he is a Mclaren driver, and for the next 6 races he will still be a Mclaren driver so obviously they are gonna push to win this one, it´s a win/win situation.

McLaren has said they are perfectly happy with Button taking points away from Hamilton.

If you insist on commenting can you at least back up your insinuations with facts.

Martin Whitemarsh hinted at something else very different in Singapore.

I'm fed up reading your drivel.

Seriously, where have you been?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19538383

[andrewf1]

McLaren has said they are perfectly happy with Button taking points away from Hamilton.

If you insist on commenting can you at least back up your insinuations with facts.

Martin Whitemarsh hinted at something else very different in Singapore.

I'm fed up reading your drivel.

Seriously, where have you been?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19538383

Seriously, you do know Singapore was after Monza, right? Check again.

[FoxHound]

Then again this is the forth year in a row that McLaren have failed to give him a realistic shot at the title - be it because of poor cars or stupid operational errors and reliability.

This is the basic crux of it. McLaren have had some wonderful machines over the years, but since 1992, they have only won 3 WDC's....2 by Hakkinen and 1 by Hamilton. There is no doubting McLaren's capability, they CAN do fast.
But Mercedes chuck a lump in the back of a Honda and BANG, 1 WDC in the bag? that's 33% of what they achieved with McLaren in almost a decade and a half? That's quite a stark statistic. It could almost be down to Mclaren's almost incessant paranoia(and yes we all love their attention to detail) to get everything perfect. It cannot always be perfect, and you need leeway to accommodate this.

[raymondu999]

Hamilton is going to get less money at Mercedes so he is not doing it for money as you think.

"There is a competitive market for drivers and Lewis is as competitive as anyone else in that respect," Brawn told Sky Sports News. "But Lewis didn't come here because we offered more money, because we didn't. Lewis came here because he met the people that were involved in the project, he became excited about the project, and Lewis will be part of creating that competitive car.

http://en.espnf1.com/mercedes/motorspor ... 90184.html

Equal money more like. As I understand it McLaren matched the financial offer only a couple of days before the announcement.

[zyphro]

Lol, he did not mention anything about personal sponsors. Did he?

That quote is meaningless.

"Lewis came here because he met the people that were involved in the project, he became excited about the project, and Lewis will be part of creating that competitive car."

Feels like 09-10 again, LH fans are in a rocky ride.

[zyphro]

del.

[tetopelis]

Forum topics such as these surely does provide alot of entertainment.
Well, I guess time will tell.
Lewis is going to do what he thinks is right. I mean surely in comparative point to when he came into F1, 5 years ago to now, he would have learned alot to make good sound decision.

To say his management influenced him, he doesn't seem the type. He does seem the type that needs to be in control of everything and at the front at it. His body language speaks volumes. Look at how he was in Monza when the rumors broke. I give him thumbs up for being in control of the race that weekend. But he was just not in control of the Media and that bugged him. Then see the stark difference in body language in Singapore, where he took control (with probable good advice from his management and the Mclaren brass) by going on a media blackout on the topic. He was in control on the track and in front of the camera and that spoke volumes in his body language. That are how people who are just born and bread with the absolute will to be the best are. Undeniably the are human beings with ego's the size of mount Everest. Unfortunately none of them can and will ever be good losers. Their only distinction is No.1. Being No.2 is just being the first loser (no matter how much of a good result it is). Alonso is exactly the same. You can see it in Vettel this year. Senna, Prost and Lauda are supreme classic examples (oh can they pout and throw a tantrum when things don't go their way). But that makes them what they are, the absolute unmovable, steam rolling force. The one directional will to win makes them such (I am going so far to say at all cost).

About him not being able to build a team around him, I think that is pretty untrue. Look at his record over this past 5 years. He had 3 different teammates (2 of them world champion and one of them rated one of the best drivers of this generation). Lewis has beaten them in varying degrees (my vote for the team mate who really kept him honest is Alonso, massive respect for that guy). And the factor which helped him do that is building the team around him. We all know he is a great driver, awesome at best. But watch what happened in the season with Alonso. As Alonso self imploded, Lewis kept the team with him and on his side. With Kolvelinen, unfortunately he really did step into team Lewis and just could not lay a dent. This showed in 2008, where Lewis kept the team with him, always managing to setup the same machinery way better then Hekki. Again apparent in 2009, when McLaren just did not have the best car but Lewis was still pulling out some good results and Hekki's best was only a single win at Hungary. 2010 with Button in the fray, Lewis still had the team with him and in a car still not the best was an outside fighter for the championship. 2011 was Button's year of getting more comfy, and Lewis not being in control of his personal life (which made Lewis the pout master and he had not learnt how to manage that against his performance). This year, undeniably one of the best if not the best car, same machinery available to Lewis and Button, Lewis learning from the last year and in a more mature state, and how many times we see Lewis getting the results and Button scratching his head on why he was not (it took 4 total races to figure it out and with the help of some upgrades). And how many times have you heard Button say setup. This is where I think having the team properly function for you plays a huge role. Building the team with you is key as the driver gives the input, but if he has not managed his set of engineers and drive them to use the best skill sets to digest the information and translate to the car, he would have had case Button 2012.

And about the money an endorsement thing, I think it would be absolutely silly of him not to take the opportunity presented to him. Wouldn't any of us? Given the chance to be a global brand, that would outlast his career in F1, make more revenue out of it and be more successful...common, would any of us really say no to that. Its just smart business. Loyalty is one thing, yes. But I doubt he has got anything more to prove in that department. 14 years of his life has been part and parcel with Mclaren, thru alot of thick and thin. This is just a very professional next step. It goes in the mold of being the best. Schumi did it, Senna did it.

Him moving to Mercedes is a sure-fied role of the dice. It is going to go one way or the other. But only people with that believe take the step. Schumi came from a winning Bennaton team to at that time a dog of a Ferrari team. Oh behold the went on the win 6 constructors and 5 WDC championships (please correct my number if it is wrong). All it took was his belief in his step and not looking back.

That's just my opinion. But we are going to have a real entertaining end to this season and a start to the next. That's for sure.

[PlatinumZealot]

Lol, he did not mention anything about personal sponsors. Did he?

That quote is meaningless.

"Lewis came here because he met the people that were involved in the project, he became excited about the project, and Lewis will be part of creating that competitive car."

Feels like 09-10 again, LH fans are in a rocky ride.

To some of us it feels like year 2000.

I was never really a big admirer of Brawn especially after how he handled the silver arrows over the past three years, but after some deliberation I think I can see the dream team fairy tale really coming true.

[raymondu999]

I was never really a big admirer of Brawn especially after how he handled the silver arrows over the past three years, but after some deliberation I think I can see the dream team fairy tale really coming true.

Amazing how a driver signing changes perceptions eh n_smikle?

[Shakeman]

McLaren were prepared to make Hamilton the best paid driver in F1 according to Twitmarsh but he has still chosen to go. Brawn confirmed Merc were not paying the salary the press have reported and No.1 status was never requested or was offered as part of the deal. This rather scotched the haters saying it was all about the money, the fame and the greed. As it turns out it was for the challenge and the racing.

What does the move actually say about McLaren?

It certainly says a lot about Lewis wanting a new challenge but it's quite a damning indictment of McLaren. There is something about the McLaren philosophy the stats speak for themselves, the WDC win rate is shockingly low for a team that is so well resourced and can attract the best drivers.

I have to say Whitmarsh's interview was slightly embarrassing as he tried to big up Perez to deflect the huge loss of Hamilton. Will Perez immediately school Button, McLaren better hope so.

[Nando]

Lol, he did not mention anything about personal sponsors. Did he?

That quote is meaningless.

"Lewis came here because he met the people that were involved in the project, he became excited about the project, and Lewis will be part of creating that competitive car."

Feels like 09-10 again, LH fans are in a rocky ride.

Exact same deals as Rosberg and Schumacher have. Maybe not money wise but opportunity wise it´s the same.

[zyphro]

Lol, he did not mention anything about personal sponsors. Did he?

That quote is meaningless.

"Lewis came here because he met the people that were involved in the project, he became excited about the project, and Lewis will be part of creating that competitive car."

Feels like 09-10 again, LH fans are in a rocky ride.

To some of us it feels like year 2000.

I was never really a big admirer of Brawn especially after how he handled the silver arrows over the past three years, but after some deliberation I think I can see the dream team fairy tale really coming true.

Dream team?

Sorry but a team that cannot develop in-season will not become a world beater within a few years. It's taken them three years of restructuring- look where it's got them. All I'm saying is, take what Brawn says with a grain of salt. He is the master of BS'ing his way out of a situation.

[FoxHound]

@ zyphro

Why did the team not have updates for the majority of this season?