The silly season begins...nice BBC article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/05/will_hamilton_stay_at_mclaren.html

What a scenario this paints. Very interesting.

 

Thanks, spot on.

 

Interesting. FWIW, AutoBild reports that the MCL team members hugely favour Button over Hamilton due to his uncomplicated, down to earth nature, while Hamilton apparently still acts like a Hollywood star in the team. Maybe dynamics like that will too influence Hamilton's decision to stay or leave.

From the article, it seems to me that whatever happens, MCL are the big losers in the driver roulette. The best that can happen to them is to keep their current lineup. They'd have a hard time finding an equally fast replacement for Hamilton, and Button isn't getting younger.

 

good article, thanks for posting.

 

AH ok. I will check the Bild. Im also reading that LH was saying always something is going wrong each weekend now. Whitmarsh had to come to the defense of the rest of the team. Slowly Im thinking LH just might want to leave in a way. I think possibly his relationship was better with Ron than Martin. One never knows!

 

Good article.

IMHO Hammy's going nowhere. HOWEVER, if he decides to leave, then his best option is Red Bull. MB is keen on De Resta, Ferrari belongs to Alonso and everyone else is too small IMHO.

 

I absolutely believe this. I've always thought that Button was Whitmarsh's "guy" because he was responsible for bringing him to McLaren and signing him. You can sense that LH is getting restless with the team's errors and struggles. Personally, I would love to see him at Ferrari, I think he and FA are much different drivers from 5 years ago.

For one thing, they now have a mutual respect and Fernando knows that LH is very, very fast. At McLaren, he didn't know this yet and he expected to be #1 whereas I think he knows now if LH arrived at Ferrari he wouldn't be granted unquestionable #1 status and would expect to be beaten from time to time, unlike McLaren when I'm sure he expected to blow the rookie into the weeds. I think most of the problems that arose at McLaren were a result of Alonso being insulted at an unproven rookie (at the time) getting the favoritism and treatment that LH got relative to himself, the assumed #1.

Alonso soon realized that Hamilton was Ron's baby and conflict started. The two seem to get along well now and a move to Ferrari would not be ridiculous IMO.

Regardless I want to see LH leave McLaren, I think it would be interesting. I could definitely see him going to Mercedes because he and Rosberg are friends and I believe that MS is done after this year.

 

http://www.insideline.com/ferrari/vettel-webber-rumored-headed-to-ferrari-f1.html

Just read the above...Newey coming too?

 

Both he and JB aired their frustrations with the team after Monaco. Button went so far as to say that he was 'happy that he crashed so that he wouldn't have to continue driving to the end".

Hamilton was pissed about a bad clutch setting the team told him to make (for he start) and yet ANOTHER slow pit stop. If they're looking to keep him they have a strange way of showing it.

Button, otoh, says he felt like he was "back in his Honda days" this weekend. Ouch!

 

Ermm the merry go round begins.

If Hamilton has any sense he should stay put IMO.

Ham is in good position I'd say, the top teams all want him so this adds to his bargaining power.

Vettel is probably Ferrari bound at some point.

As for Webber I can see the sense in earning a fast buck at Ferrari, for his retirement.

 

Yes Ok I had not seen the Button comments. Explains Whitmarsh defending the 'team'. I sense some slight dis-array at Mclaren. Im sure they will bounce back. I think there is much more going on with LH than just whats in the press.

I think he is feeling a bit more 'free' this year and just might actually be keeping his options more open as negotiations begin. He is a proven winner and F1 is always about change

 

Err, I'm confused. That article doesn't even mention Newey..... Did you mean Seb?

As for Adrian, apparently, he's already turned down a gazillion bucks to move there - Not interested in moving to Italy and is a much bigger cog at RB than he'd ever be at Ferrari. They'd want him to drop his pencil & paper and learn Catia!

As for Seb, his response to this nonsense (which gives us something to discuss I guess) was;

My take is some "unnamed source" started this "he's signed a pre-contract" (WTF that may be!) rumour and is sitting back and laughing as the "story" travels the world getting picked up by more and more journo's desperate to fill their columns.

But I could be wrong

Cheers,
Ian

 

More or less expected, wasn't it?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100003

Best,

 

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/180289/1/brundle_does_hamilton_need_fresh_oxygen.html

 

Pay cut??????????

I thought Ron was his mentor/friend??
http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/7806412/-Hamilton-May-Have-To-Take-A-Pay-Cut-

 

So he should. He wouldn't even be in F1 without Ron ... Heck he gave him everything and now he wants more pocket money. Gee LH has a nerve.

BTW: Good drive apparently this weekend at Canada. My father is happy anyway with LH as McLaren won.
Pete

 

Hamilton tried to outsmart McLaren by waiting very long before deciding where to go - some magazines/discussions here say so long that all other options were gone, too - and now it seems that turned into a boomerang.
I doubt that any of the current drivers, except Schumi maybe, has the upper hand on the old farts like Ron Dennis when it comes to negotiation skills...

 

That makes sense. Easy for Ron to toss this out in public if LH has limited options!

 

Lewis may be just foolish enough to jump.
They call it the Silly Season for a reason.

 

Maybe some sort of revenge for Hamilton openly considering leaving MCL. Power games.

 

Even old Schumster got caught with his pants half mast in his Ferrari/Kimster dealings.

Updated status report to be sent to all drivers;
There are 4 or 5 good/great teams. Occationally a seat opens up.
Hundreds of drivers.
Do the math.

 

Ferrari have concluded an agreement for Sebastian Vettel join Fernando Alonso at the team from 2014. They will offer Felipe Massa a performance-related deal to stay on as a stop-gap in 2013 but if that doesn't work out will make an offer for Mark Webber. To really secure Vettel's signing, they need to deliver a title for Alonso so the pairing is less confrontational with a more fulfilled Alonso.


Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel could be team-mates at Ferrari from 2014
Full story: Mediaset (in Italian)

 

Sure, and beware of flying pigs while you're at it

 

How's that gonna work?

If he improves from 16th position to 15th he gets extra $?
If he gets lapped by his team mate only once instead of twice he gets extra $?

Or is it just for being a nice guy and baking cookies for grandma?

 

You are so blinded by your dislike for Massa, that you fail to see something so simple.
*IF* they really are getting Vettel for 2014, no one will sign to be Alonso's number two for just a year and then being cut. No one. If Alonso is staying on board for the long term, it looks this way, and they have a new team mate for him who can not start until 2014, the best, if not the ONLY, option they have is keep Massa on board. It has nothing to do with money.