Formula 1 2012: General Discussion Thread

OSI wrote: »

Lewis Hamilton doesn't care about what the current cars at Merc and Sauber are like. Or he clearly wouldn't have picked Mercedes. He cares about what they are going to be like in the near future.

i know i know I'm being tongue in cheek

i guess that confirms jb as number 1 driver for mclaren next year. wonder who his team mate is going to be?

Spudman_20000 wrote: »

So Schumi shafted again. First time by Ferrari to bring in Raikkonen who slept his way to a world title and now Mercedes shafting him for Hamilton. Pity Mercedes couldn't deliver a right car for Michael in 3 bloody years.

And here we go again about Kimi being sleepy..
He won the bloody title fair and square.. What more can you expect.?
Where is he this season? Nothing has changed.
Schumacher should never have come back, He was a Pre Hamilton racer. "Spoilt with all the best toys"

OSI wrote: »

Lewis Hamilton doesn't care about what the current cars at Merc and Sauber are like. Or he clearly wouldn't have picked Mercedes. He cares about what they are going to be like in the near future.

That is a nonsence comment
How can anyone predict what the cars are going to be like?
No team even knows what this years cars are doing, nevermind 2 years down the line.

I'd be very surprised if anyone has done much, if any, work on the 2014 cars (bar the engines) as its a huge resource hole in the middle of the season when the current cars are still being developed. Also the final 2013 tech regs were only confirmed yesterday, no point spending time and money only for it to end up in the bin.

OSI wrote: »

Supposedly McLaren matched Mercedes offer in the end.

Not for endorsements, which is what his management company are interested in. I believe he left because of money - which is sad when you consider how much he's already made, what he was being offered and the difference between the 2 contracts financially.

McLaren are better off I reckon - he's a pain half the time anyway.

youreadthis wrote: »

Bit of a shame, but McLaren have let him down a few too many times since 2008. Will be great to see what Perez can do next year.

It will be like having two Jensons on the team in my opinion. I really hope he does well.

But as a Sauber fan, who will get Perez seat? Worst outcome possible would be Massa going back to them and Schumi not getting the seat in a Ferrari. Best would be Vicky Piria or Carmen Jorda

The actual best would be Esteban Gutierrez or Valtteri Bottas (he won't) getting the seat.

Wonder if one of the Moto GP drivers will ever try F1. Casey Stoner or Rossi (I know he had a test)?

Couple of things about Lewis leaving...

For one this has been coming for some time. Since 2009 he has been unhappy with the team and it all goes back to Australia when him and Dave Ryan were told to lie to the stewards for overtaking under the yellows. From that moments onwards we have seen cracks in the relationship between Lewis and McLaren and it's been clear that their relationship was on rocky ground.

From my own perspective of the few times that Ive been in the paddock I can comment from my own viewpoint and last year at Silverstone it was clear that Lewis was isolating himself from the rest of the team. Button was eating lunch amongst everyone and was at the centre of attention laughing and joking. Lewis on the other hand was huddled in a corner with a couple of advisors/entourage.

It could very well have been an isolated incident (Silverstone was the only F1 race I was at last year) but even this year you could see a very guarded Hamilton. Whereas last year he spoke what he felt, "is it cos I is black" etc, this year he hasnt been so free with his words. He's looked not to make a mistake in talking to the press and he hasnt been able to express himself for much of the year.

He seemed to constantly look not to make waves within the team for most of the year but as the summer progressed he basically went to extreme lengths to try and explain his bad races. Tweeting the telemetry was a clear example of Hamilton looking to ensure that everyone knew exactly what the issue was even though anyone with any knowledge of the sport was able to know that a big gap to Button wasnt indicitive of a struggling Hamilton and that it was rather likely that they were on different setups etc.

I've been impressed by Lewis for most of the year. He hasnt made mistakes and has driven really well but he has had some mental lapses-the telemetry tweet the prime example-that would have made it very difficult for McLaren to keep him.

I think, as it is for a lot of young sportsmen that have been at a team for a long time, he wanted to show that he could do it elsewhere. Think in terms of a young Wayne Rooney who left Everton (the team he was with since he was 10 or 11) and went to United. Hamilton left the comfort of McLaren (his home for 14 years) to join Merc. Obviously money played a key role but dont underestimate how much of a role the prospect of a change of scenery played. 14 years is a long time to spend in the one team and for Hamilton to have only won one title in 6 years at McLaren is surely a massive disappointment.

To see Vettel winning multiple titles Hamilton must have felt that to win again he needed to leave McLaren and for all their ability to consistently produce a quick car they have only won one title (Lewis in 08) over the last 13 years.

Deleted User wrote: »

I wonder have Merc got some trick up their sleeve to convince Lewis they will have a winning car in the future.

2014 engine regs are obvious but what about someone like Newey for 2014 also? He extended his RB contract in 2011 apparently for 3 years and you have to wonder what his long term ambitions are. If he wants to stop designing race cars there's not an awful lot for him to do at Red Bull whereas a car company could probably have some very interesting roles for him to retire into.

Just a completely random thought but as much as everyone wants to portray Lewis as a money-grabber, I think deep down he wants a winning car and competent team. He is always whinging or looking surly when McLaren let him down which is what makes the Merc move so baffling unless he is 100% confident they can improve their form somehow.

I agree with most of what you say there apart from some of the last sentence. He has matured a lot this year. Just look at what happened in Singapore when the gearbox in his car failed while he was leading the race. He didn't go on any rants or attack the team. Naturally he was dissapointed, but he's moved on from it.

Adam Cooper was speculating that Toto Wolff may be interested in getting Schumacher in to replace Senna at Williams. Ironic if it did happen after what Schuey did in 94 and tried to do in 97.

In other news, Autosport are reporting that Hamilton and Rosberg will have equal standing in the team. I'm surprised at that myself, I would have thought HAM would want them to develop the car to suit him and his style.

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I`ll hold my hand up and see well done to Eddie, although he still talks a large amount of horse crap :pac:

yeah i was sceptical about eddie, he said there would be an announcement on wednesday this week, when i heard nothing i thought he was bluffing,

Max_Charger wrote: »

The only differance being this is like Rooney leaving Man Utd now and joining Wigan...

Its more like joining the likes of Liverpool or Arsenal. A team with big resources and ability that have failed to live up to expectations. Merc are the fourth best team in F1 at the minute but their potential is quite obvious add in the fact that Hamilton can make a lot more money by joining the team and it's a perfectly understandable decision to leave McLaren