Hamilton signs Mercedes contract

[mattx]

Silly boy.

 

BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton to leave McLaren after signing Mercedes contract

[Danp]

Makes me feel sick

[DavidIrwin]

Welcome to the F1 2012 "Shuffle The Drivers" competition

 

Eduring respect and admiration to the first person who correctly predicts who will replace him at McLaren and all of the other resulting driver changes!

 

My suggestion is:

Paul DiResta to McLaren

[Brucy]

I think Sergio Perez is going to step in, at least thats what the Beeb reckoned earlier

[mwbutler]

He's clearly after nothing more than money as the Mercedes car car is rubbish.

 

Welcome to the F1 2012 "Shuffle The Drivers" competition

 

Eduring respect and admiration to the first person who correctly predicts who will replace him at McLaren and all of the other resulting driver changes!

 

My suggestion is:

Paul DiResta to McLaren

 

Sadly not looks like its Perez

 

BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton: Sergio Perez joins McLaren from Sauber

[timbo343]

Looks like ill be buying some Merc stuff now... i wonder if things will improve there.

 

Ive not read the article fully but is Michael going to be stepping into management?

[DavidIrwin]

He's clearly after nothing more than money as the Mercedes car car is rubbish.

 

Sadly not looks like its Perez

 

BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton: Sergio Perez joins McLaren from Sauber

 

Using news sites, and not uninformed opinion is cheating!

 

Dave

[strawberry]

Interesting move, think it shows that he cares less about the performance of the car and more about the focus on him. At Mclaren they have a good car but it's not designed for him and he doens't get all his way ( though he does most) . He'll be the number 1 at Mercedes.

[synaesthesia]

Silly boy? You people forget too quickly and it annoys me how much it happens for Lewis Hamilton.

People whinge about his driving and forget about Senna.

People whinge about him moving (it's all for the money) and forget about "that stupid, career-ending move that Schumacher made to Ferrari in 1996..."

 

Tsk! Call yourself F1 fans? Make the judgement after a couple of years.

[DavidIrwin]

Tsk! Call yourself F1 fans? Make the judgement after a couple of years.

 

All F1 fans are good at judging before the facts are known. That is what gives us things to talk about all week

 

If I am honest I think it will be very good for him to be led by someone like Ross Braun and the ambition of Mercedes to win in F1 certainly works in his favour. How do you see the Lewis & Nico partnership working?

 

Dave

[VeryPC_Tom_B]

I blame Nicole Scherzinger

[synaesthesia]

How do you see the Lewis & Nico partnership working?

Dave

 

Well they are very good friends off track and all the way through karting. But we know what F1 does to "friends".

[Disease]

Well I for one do not care where he goes as long as he spends less time on the podium I am a happy man, can not stand the arrogant little primadonna. Button is a much better driver anyway.

[laserblazer]

What next - Rossi signing for Ducati?

 

Valentino survived because he has so much public support. Everyone was willing him to do well. I suspect it will be the opposite with Hamilton.

[mthomas08]

Glad im not the only one hating this stupid move, Lewis really does seem to be throwing a tantrum... i really dont know..

 

Most drivers go up the grid till the end of their career, Lewis much younger, very talented but going backwards to a car fighting for 5th in the championship. Maybe he wants to do an Alonso be number 1, get a 2nd rate car up the field. Reliability though is not on Mercs side either compared to Ferrari....

 

Oh well, Maca gained Perez and unless he easily beats Button maybe we will see Button fighting for the championship. Button is back to his consistent ways just like we had last season where he finished 2nd behind that brilliant RBR and Vettel.

[synaesthesia]

Irks me how conveniently forgetful so many people are.

[Brucy]

Irks me how conveniently forgetful so many people are.

 

The thing is that he has gone to a team with no real pedigree, the Brawn year aside, the best Honda did was a few second places and a fortuitous win in hungary. In the last few years they are probably the biggest underachievers on the grid.

 

Maybe he knows something we don't?

Edited September 28, 2012 by Brucy
spelling...

[DavidIrwin]

Maybe he knows something we don't?

 

Also worth noting that the team has changed a LOT since the Honda days... when Brawn resurected the team they reduced the staff

about 80% and since the Mercedes have grown the team again.

 

I agree that they have not had a successful design this year but next year could be a whole new game (or is it the year after??) with the new engines and significant rule changes. Exactly where a well funded manufacturer team will have the advantage!

 

Dave

[synaesthesia]

Ferrari had pedigree but 30-40 years of title drought.

[DavidIrwin]

Very true.

[multipoint]

Yep, next season it’s all about engine performance, and less about aero. So teams who build their own motors will have an immediate advantage. I’m gutted as I'm a massive Lewis fan (even moved my account to Santander...), but frankly Mercedes part financed Lewis’s entire career with McLaren and McLaren have had their chance to give him the car and the number 1 seat and they blew it.

 

There's no such thing as friends in F1 amongst teammates.

 

I too blame Nicole, Tom!

[multipoint]

The thing is that he has gone to a team with no real pedigree, the Brawn year aside, the best Honda did was a few second places and a fortuitous win in hungary. In the last few years they are probably the biggest underachievers on the grid.

 

Maybe he knows something we don't?

 

Ross Brawn took over Honda renamed them Brawn, won the championship and sold the team to Mercedes for millions. 1 for 1. Plus Brawn was behind the most winning F1 driver ever during Shumacher's Ferarri years. My money is on Mercedes v Ferarri and a strong challenge from Lotus for next year.

[nicholab]

F1 has been like this for a long time. Lotus in the 1960s!

[CESIL]

This move has more to do with restrictive contracts and image rights.

 

McLaren do not allow their drivers to do their own sponsorship deals but Mercedes do...Hamilton's management company know that he can earn much more under such a regime...

 

...and as others have said Schumacher took an under-achieving Ferrari team and wiped the floor with the others albeit in the days when unlimited testing (and budget) and a helpful tyre company made it possible to really fine tune a car.

 

Personally I am interested to see what Perez can do with a team like McLaren...I think he may be the one to watch in the next few years...bring it on!