Hamilton to Red Bull?

[MCLS]

This is a rumour that has been circulating the press quite a lot recently and started with Helmut Marko's comment the other week. Having heard interviews with Horner and Hamilton, neither of them are coming out and saying that Hamilton is definitely staying at Mclaren, particularly with Hamilton's recent comments about how there wouldn't be problems if he was team mate to Vettel. Something doesn't seem right about all this anyway, but Hamilton in a Red Bull really would be a fearsome prospect, still can't see it happening though. But the contract situation with Webber does make you think who they have in mind for when Webber retires in the not too distant future.

 

[johnnoble1990]

I didn't like Lewis' comments. Mclaren gave him so many opportunities that other drivers don't get and i hope he repays them by staying their for life. I honestly can't see Lewis going to Red Bull. I think long term Mclaren have better potential. I think the reasons for Lewis' comments are about negotiations with Mclaren, not with Red Bull. Professional sportsmen use this kind of thing to eek out more money for their next contract. Either way, i hope Lewis comes out soon and says he is obviously staying at Mclaren. Not that i wouldn't follow him to Red Bull.

 

[johnnoble1990]

Just to be fair to Lewis, i've seen another interview and he was fairly magnanimous in the way he said he was dedicated to trying to win more races with them than anyone ever.

 

[johnnoble1990]

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sco...ort/3517588/Lewis-Vettels-a-bad-F1-loser.html

It seems that BBC may have been a bit misleading in their article. Here is a longer one. He calls Vettel a bad loser. He would spend all season sulking if Lewis was his teammate.

 

[MCLS]

The words 'sun' and 'newspaper don't go together well

 

[snowy]

This is a classic example of Chinese whispers. The interviewer has inferred that Lewis is talking specifically about Sebastian being a poor loser when in fact Lewis is considering what Christian Horner may see as a possible impediment to running he and Sebastian. Lewis is stating that he doesn't now and wouldn't have that problem in the future, he doesn't call Sebastian a bad loser or a good winner.

Here we get a real feeling of what Lewis is thinking and feeling in his own words:

Hamilton insists he would have no problems having Vettel - who took his tag as F1's youngest champ last year - as his team-mate.
He added: "The better the guy you're with, and you finish ahead of them, then you look even better.
I feel privileged I was put up against Fernando Alonso when I first got here because I beat him.
That raised the awareness of me being here and also my targets plus everyone's expectation of me.
It's always good to be against the best guy you can be against - because you are compared to that guy in the same equipment.

There isn't animosity or accusation, simply acknowledgement of the fact that he wants to be the best and be measured against the best. Perhaps he has learnt this from Jenson? Perhaps this has been part of his make up all along? Perhaps he will pressure McLaren into offering Sebastian Jenson's seat when he retires to raise a family...

 

[FB]

Rosberg to Ferrari, as being discussed by the BBC team, is a far more interesting story.

 

[Brogan]

I didn't like Lewis' comments. Mclaren gave him so many opportunities that other drivers don't get and i hope he repays them by staying their for life.

If Lewis didn't prove himself during testing, he wouldn't have been given a seat.
It's as simple as that.

The same could be said of McLaren regarding payback; it's fair to say that they have hindered his career at times.
China 2007 springs immediately to mind when they refused direct orders from Bridgestone to bring him.
That arguably put paid to the last time a rookie will ever have the chance of becoming WDC.

Their strategy and advice is also questionable at times, quite often in fact.
Australia 2009 was farcical.

Ultimately Lewis is in F1 to win.
If that means moving to a different team to do so then I have no issue with that.
(As long as it's not Red Bull or Ferrari )

 

[teabagyokel]

Can I just take issue with this:

Mclaren gave him so many opportunities that other drivers don't get.

The other drivers who were bracketed in "top" status from their youth exploits, and whom Lewis is juxtaposed against in this scenario, are Fernando Alonso and Seb Vettel.

Both were earmarked for a top team as surely as Lewis was; Renault and Red Bull were getting there.

Fernando's year at Minardi was not a case of him proving himself - Briatore was at the time using Minardi to give his drivers a year of experience; Mark Webber was similarly loaned out. He'd have gone to Renault instantly had they not got Jenson Button on loan from Williams on a 2 year contract, and needed the experience of Trulli.

Similarly, Vettel was going to the top either with Red Bull or BMW. He was given Friday duties at BMW at the age of 19, and then a seat with Toro Rosso. That's the point of Toro Rosso!

The difference is Hamilton, because Montoya buggered off to NASCAR, took his apprentice year in GP2, which neither Alonso (because it had not started) or Vettel did.

The people who say Hamilton jumped straight into a McLaren see F1 as existing devoid of other motorsport series, or are simply trolling.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

The words 'sun' and 'newspaper don't go together well

They do but you have to replace the word 'News' with 'Toilet'

 

[Brogan]

Lewis Hamilton reckons a tie-up with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing in the future would work absolutely fine, amid fresh talk about his long-term future in Formula 1.
...
"It can work," Hamilton told the British media. "You saw me and Fernando [Alonso]; we were very competitive. You see me and Jenson [Button], so world champions can definitely race together as long as there is equality in the team.

"There is definitely not that at a couple of the teams around us. At my team you will probably see the most equality out of all the teams."

Bit of a dig at Alonso and Vettle there

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90548

 

[johnnoble1990]

Ultimately Lewis is in F1 to win.
If that means moving to a different team to do so then I have no issue with that.
(As long as it's not Red Bull or Ferrari )

Ha. If he can't win championships with Mclaren, i'd have no problem with him moving to Red Bull. I'd rather he stay at Mclaren though. I actually seem to remember liking Red Bull back before they became good.

 

[johnnoble1990]

The people who say Hamilton jumped straight into a McLaren see F1 as existing devoid of other motorsport series, or are simply trolling.

Can't argue with this.

 

[Hamberg]

Hamilton does seem to be saying an awful lot more this year - is this down to his new management company? He and McLaren are winding up Horner and Vettel a treat.

Even the interview today he was pointing out though that he's won a race every year in McLaren. There is something in what he's saying about McLaren's history and riches. When Newey gets itchy feet and decides to take on the ultimate challenge at HRT, will Red Bull stay on top?

 

[Enja]

Lewis Hamilton reckons a tie-up with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing in the future would work absolutely fine, amid fresh talk about his long-term future in Formula 1.
...
"It can work," Hamilton told the British media. "You saw me and Fernando [Alonso]; we were very competitive. You see me and Jenson [Button], so world champions can definitely race together as long as there is equality in the team.

"There is definitely not that at a couple of the teams around us. At my team you will probably see the most equality out of all the teams."

Bit of a dig at Alonso and Vettle there

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90548

Like the way he said "At my team"

Lewis needs to do whatever he feels is best for his race career. Nothing more to it than that, every driver is the same and every person here in their position would want the exact same. He owes McLaren nothing, they were the ones that took him under their wing and took a chance on him. If he wasn't a supreme talent and didn't make it into F1 would he owe them anything then? No. Simply giving someone a chance does not mean you are doing them some samaritan act of kindness, in F1 it is simply business.

"Here, Lewis, we know you're outstanding and you're PR friendly, we will pay your bills and help you get into these categories, but you still have to produce the goods, with hopefully you reaching Formula 1 where you will be a great asset to us."

In his time he has become an astonishingly accomplished grand prix driver and in my opinion is the best in F1 today. He has helped McLaren return to the tops of the table after a comparatively lean period in the mid and early 2000s. He is a wonderful ambassador for many sponsors and the McLaren team and is worth a heck of a lot to them simply as a pretty face (not to mention as a mixed race one at that - cynical as it may sound).

He gave McLaren it's first WDC in what, a decade almost?

I think he has already "repaid" anything he "owed" McLaren, but really, he has nothing to owe them. He's a fantastic racing driver and I don't really care where he drives, I will always support him, as you know he is fully committed when driving a car and as spectators, love or hate him, we should enjoy him while he's here.

 

[johnnoble1990]

One of the things with Lewis and Mclaren is, they do seem to impede his races quite a lot. Some of the strategy calls were stupid today. Why go on hard tyres early, only to pit before everyone for more hard tyres? Mclaren seem like they try to do too much.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

McLaren are ready to offer Lewis Hamilton a contract for life. He could become Britain's first billion-pound sportsman as he bids to dominate Formula 1 for the next decade.

According to the News of the World, as quoted on the BBC F1 Sunday gossip column.

Perhaps after today Lewis might not be in a particular rush to take them up on that.

 

[Enja]

McLaren are ready to offer Lewis Hamilton a contract for life. He could become Britain's first billion-pound sportsman as he bids to dominate Formula 1 for the next decade.

According to the News of the World, as quoted on the BBC F1 Sunday gossip column.

Well, that only proves two things

1) NoTW is crap.

2) The BBC shouldn't be regurgitating crap.

 

[derby]

It will be wrong for Lewis to jump ship, Mclaren will always have the resource and the technical infrastructure to at leat develop a competitive car!

They have already seemed to develop this years car to the pace of Red Bull, and I wouldnt bet against them to out develop redbull this season.

There is always a clear pattern, when there is a raft of rule changes, an Adrian Neway car is always dominant at first, then the rest of the field catch up, and then over take the development, It happened in 96/97 with Williams, then when he first joined Mclaren when there was a raft of rule changes, and now RedBull.

 

[ramilas1]

Another media spin from the honest answer to a loaded question .... like a week or so ago about Ferrari trying to get Newey.

All this stuff has as much in common with "news" as claiming to have found a World War 2 bomber on the moon.

Often the person mis-quoted is happy to have fed in the implication to generate a bit of leverage in contract discussions.

Other times it's done by the journalist to feed through and create another story involving the riposte from a rival or rival team.

Same thing happened last week with Ian Poulter and Tiger Woods, and regularly happens with Man Utd / Chelsea, etc.

News has become a 24/7 industry, but supply of real stories will never meet the demand.