5 year McLaren Deal for Hamilton

[bontebempo]

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41636

How can he race for anyone else with the Mercedes logo birthmark on his skull?

[ShiftingGears]

Good news for both parties. And to answer your question, if he wants to leave McLaren plenty of teams would be interested in him. Unless he suddenly becomes a poor driver.

[gloomyDAY]

Great decision. Both team and driver are satisfied.

McLaren is going to be one hell of a team this year. They are all highly motivated, capable, have an experienced crew, and talented young drivers. I'll expect them on the podium regularly.

[mwr120675]

Good for Lewis!

[Big Ben]

he surely deserved it. The very same man that lost the biggest chance to win something for McLaren in ... I don't know... how many years? 7? 8?

but those are little details. The important thing is that he's good friend with the guys and eats with the team now and then unlike the big bad ugly troll. The big man makes the little bugs feel great.

[wmcot]

Good news for Lewis, but if RD is forced out as rumors have it, I wonder how he will feel about the team?

[Big Ben]

Good news for Lewis, but if RD is forced out as rumors have it, I wonder how he will feel about the team?

even if RD leaves the rest of the team stays. Although I think RD was dead wrong not support FA for the WDC I think he was fair with both of them up to a point. If it was for the rest of the team I think FA's car would have had only 3 wheels... So I don't see him to be in danger.

[wmcot]

even if RD leaves the rest of the team stays. Although I think RD was dead wrong not support FA for the WDC I think he was fair with both of them up to a point. If it was for the rest of the team I think FA's car would have had only 3 wheels... So I don't see him to be in danger.

No, I don't mean any danger to LH, just that he will lose the close relationship with RD and will be faced with a situation more like any driver in any other team. If Norbert Haug became team principal, for example, I'm not sure he would be as close to LH.

[samuratt]

Good for Lewis!!! another young rich boy on the block. :)

[markabilly]

No, I don't mean any danger to LH, just that he will lose the close relationship with RD and will be faced with a situation more like any driver in any other team. If Norbert Haug became team principal, for example, I'm not sure he would be as close to LH.


What RD leave Mac????? :eek: :eek:

Well, one would wonder just what Horbert would have done with a driver whing at Monaco and starting that investigation, and then the mess at Hungary....and my money says lewi will not be telling him to "go swivel"

......nor after choking out, at the end of brazil GP, getting that sad hug like he did from RD.... :rolleyes:

[woody2goody]

It seems to me that Mercedes are the big dogs around there, and Norbert may have kicked Lewis out after the opportunity he missed. :)

I'd keep him in my team forever but I wouldn't pay him as much to just keep his feet on the ground.

[MAX_THRUST]

Why are people so anti Lewis????

Good luck to him, good luck to the team. I dont understand the animosity shown towards Lewis. Some drivers I like more than others, I think Heiki and Lewis are gonna mess up the races for lots of others this year. Lets hope BMW and Renault can come to the party with competetive cars.

Thats all I care about, racing. The drivers are drivers and you can only but admire all of them. Anyone who can drive an F1 car through Eau Rouge deserves respect and the pay they get for it. They have all worked hard from young ages to get to where they are.......

I'd keep him in my team forever but I wouldn't pay him as much to just keep his feet on the ground.

The problem with that is you wouldn't keep him forever if you're not going to pay him what the market reckons he is worth.

[RJL25]

i think the reports of "everyone at mclaren hates FA" are grossly over exagerated. Everyone on LH's car may have hated FA, but i think you'll find that the blokes working on FA's car wanted FA to win more then they wanted to see LH win... It's natural for inter-team rivalries to form and its usually not just the drivers who are against each other, its often the rival crews who are against each other aswell. The only difference is that NORMALLY the situation is handled alot better then how uncle ron handled it all last year.

It's funny i've heard alot of people say stuff like fernando isn't a true champion like senna was for example, but senna was MUCH more of a ******* then fernando was, senna was an absolute right royal prick! Lets not forget that he intentionally crashed into his own team mate to win a WDC! Fernando never did that one!!!

Anyone who thinks that lewis was just the innocent little boy who was being picked on by his bully team mate is a fool, lewis was just as much into the rivalry as fernando was, the only difference was that lewis had the team boss, and more importantly the brittish media on his side! So ofcourse, fernando turns out to be the bad guy.. figures. They where both just as bad as each other

[Big Ben]

i think the reports of "everyone at mclaren hates FA" are grossly over exagerated. Everyone on LH's car may have hated FA, but i think you'll find that the blokes working on FA's car wanted FA to win more then they wanted to see LH win... It's natural for inter-team rivalries to form and its usually not just the drivers who are against each other, its often the rival crews who are against each other aswell. The only difference is that NORMALLY the situation is handled alot better then how uncle ron handled it all last year.

It's funny i've heard alot of people say stuff like fernando isn't a true champion like senna was for example, but senna was MUCH more of a ******* then fernando was, senna was an absolute right royal prick! Lets not forget that he intentionally crashed into his own team mate to win a WDC! Fernando never did that one!!!

Anyone who thinks that lewis was just the innocent little boy who was being picked on by his bully team mate is a fool, lewis was just as much into the rivalry as fernando was, the only difference was that lewis had the team boss, and more importantly the brittish media on his side! So ofcourse, fernando turns out to be the bad guy.. figures. They where both just as bad as each other

I was to young back then to be interested in F1 but as far as I know Senna intentionally crashed into Prost when the french dude was already gone from McLaren. However he had been intentionally crashed by his team mate (the same french guy) before.

About how much the other members of the McLaren team hated or not FA I remember very well how calm they all were when FA hit the wall in Japan. All except one... I don't what was his problem but he reacted as if something bad had happened... maybe he was a Spaniard or something.

"we were fighting alonso" didn't help much either, did it?

[raikk]

Why are people so anti Lewis????

Good luck to him, good luck to the team. I dont understand the animosity shown towards Lewis. Some drivers I like more than others, I think Heiki and Lewis are gonna mess up the races for lots of others this year. Lets hope BMW and Renault can come to the party with competetive cars.

Thats all I care about, racing. The drivers are drivers and you can only but admire all of them. Anyone who can drive an F1 car through Eau Rouge deserves respect and the pay they get for it. They have all worked hard from young ages to get to where they are.......

:up: good post 100% agreed

on another note good move by both parties... I look forward to another 5 years of Hamilton and the Mclaren partnership... I really can't see Ron retireing anytime soon and who can blame him?

[ioan]

I really can't see Ron retireing anytime soon and who can blame him?

You're right, he won't retire so Mercedes will have to throw him out! :D

[Big Ben]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64836

there he goes again... Alonso showed him how a f1 driver should not behave.... while he showed everybody how a f1 driver can become the idiot of the season in one race

I'd rather see MS winning 7 more wdc than this a$$h013 one.

[ioan]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64836

there he goes again... Alonso showed him how a f1 driver should not behave.... while he showed everybody how a f1 driver can become the idiot of the season in one race

I'd rather see MS winning 7 more wdc than this a$$h013 one.

Nice to see that you finally show some appreciation for MS! ;)

I agree about Hamilton being an arrogant ..... !

[bontebempo]

[quote="MAX_THRUST"]Why are people so anti Lewis????

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7207034.stm

this is why! Because he's a snotty big mouthed idiot. I wanted to like LH but really want to see Alonso show him the way

[Big Ben]

He has the nerve to complain about FA when he costed the spaniard and his team a title. When he starts yapping around like an idiot he should thing of that and maybe he'll shut up. He's the one that spoiled the things for everybody (except ferrari of course).He should bare in mind that there are drivers that maybe are not as good but would have brought the wdc to the team alongside FA.
I think it was quite obvious that he was favored there. Not only by McLaren but by FIA too and with all that support (never seen I think for a rookie) he choked and now he comes he teaches everybody how a driver should not behave.
He yaps around about fair treatment... he actually thinks he beat Alonso fair and square... forgetting that at the end of the season they both had the same amount of points.
In Monza he was mocked by FA. He wasn't able to match him the entire week end. FA got the pole in just one lap while he wasn't able to come close in two attempts... and then they go to chine and Japan and all of a sudden Alonso can't even get close to this wonder driver that isn't able to keep the car on the pitlane... and he things he got there because he was so great that he actually beat his team mate when he was the second driver... soon enough he'll say that he actually had a worse car and still was better
He made a team like McLaren known to be so disciplined and so strict look like a bunch of lunatics where everybody does what he wants

[odykas]

This kid is way too arrogant.

[janneppi]

Hamilton has a point though, if you behave like Alonso, you might alienate your team and in the end have to move to a lesser team.
I can't see anyone thinking that's a positive outcome.

Hamilton isn't a saint by any means, but Alonso sure as hell wasn't an innocent bystander in his career at McLaren.

[ioan]

Hamilton has a point though, if you behave like Alonso, you might alienate your team and in the end have to move to a lesser team.
I can't see anyone thinking that's a positive outcome.

A lesser team?
The team that won the 2005 an 2006 championships?!
Remind me when did McLaren last won a championship let alone a double! :D

[ShiftingGears]

A lesser team?
The team that won the 2005 an 2006 championships?!
Remind me when did McLaren last won a championship let alone a double! :D

Dude, Williams last won a championship over 10 years ago. Does that mean BMW are a lesser team?

[ioan]

Dude, Williams last won a championship over 10 years ago. Does that mean BMW are a lesser team?

Wake up to yourself.

Next time you decide to answer one of my posts please turn your brain on. :rolleyes:

[janneppi]

A lesser team?
The team that won the 2005 an 2006 championships?!
Remind me when did McLaren last won a championship let alone a double! :D
Do you really think his move to Renault from McLaren increased his chances of a WDC?

[PSfan]

Hamilton has a point though, if you behave like Alonso, you might alienate your team and in the end have to move to a lesser team.
I can't see anyone thinking that's a positive outcome.

If I recall... Alonso claimed that the only team not to show interest in him for 08 was Ferrari. So even after McLeran and Alonso terminated their contract, he still could have returned so he didn't have to move anywhere.

Hamilton proved a crappy team-mate (Look at his reactions on the podium after he got his first 2nd place finish behind Alonso, followed by his reaction to his second 2nd place finish behind Massa) follow that with the pissy "I wanna win" comment after the next time he finished 2nd to Alonso...

[ioan]

Do you really think his move to Renault from McLaren increased his chances of a WDC?

McLaren was never going to give him that chance over Hamilton.
So what do you think, will Renault help him more that McLaren?!

[Big Ben]

Do you really think his move to Renault from McLaren increased his chances of a WDC?

Do you really think he would have had any chance if he had stayed at McLaren?

[markabilly]

McLaren was never going to give him that chance over Hamilton.
So what do you think, will Renault help him more that McLaren?!

No, i predict that at some GP, that his team mate will throw a real big fit, start an FIA investigation, resulting in costing FA the pole and after being forced to finish somewhere in the top ten, Fa will lack the one point that eventually would have made him WDC and will end up tied again with hamster for 2nd place who chokes on a bone will running off the pit road, blowing a 9 point lead at the last race....... :rolleyes:

[janneppi]

If I recall... Alonso claimed that the only team not to show interest in him for 08 was Ferrari. So even after McLeran and Alonso terminated their contract, he still could have returned so he didn't have to move anywhere.

If I remember correctly McLaren lost some sponsors when Alonso left, I'm sure had he agreed to McLaren's terms he could have stayed there, those terms were most likely un-acceptable to Alonso compared to the one's he has from Renault.



Hamilton proved a crappy team-mate (Look at his reactions on the podium after he got his first 2nd place finish behind Alonso, followed by his reaction to his second 2nd place finish behind Massa) follow that with the pissy "I wanna win" comment after the next time he finished 2nd to Alonso...
could you give a link to those reactions. :)


McLaren was never going to give him that chance over Hamilton.
So what do you think, will Renault help him more that McLaren?!
Renault will most likely give Alonso preferencial treatment over Piquet, at McLaren would have to fight on equal terms. He blew his own chances with his behaviour toward the team altough Hamilton sure didn't make it easier on him.
Had he stuck out at McLaren and try to fit into the team from the start, he IMO would have a better chance for the title than he now has back at Renault, altough he most likely will fit better in the Renault team

Here's a question for you, would you have him at Ferrari? :)

Do you really think he would have had any chance if he had stayed at McLaren?
Not anymore, I'm sure he alienated big part of the staff there, which I think was a mistake from him and I'm not sure he would have it in him to fix it. Alonso seems to need an environment where his position is rock solid and a straight competition inside the team with a fast driver is something he doesn't want.

[ArrowsFA1]

McLaren was never going to give him that chance over Hamilton.
Why did they sign him then? Are you seriously suggesting that McLaren signed a 2xWDC to be #2 to a rookie (remembering also that Alonso signed to race for McLaren before Hamilton)? Why not put PdlR in the car instead? If your opinion is correct that would have been a far better option.

[Big Ben]

Why did they sign him then? Are you seriously suggesting that McLaren signed a 2xWDC to be #2 to a rookie (remembering also that Alonso signed to race for McLaren before Hamilton)? Why not put PdlR in the car instead? If your opinion is correct that would have been a far better option.

I'd say things changes during the season and I think that FA became beyond any doubts the #2 driver in Hungary.

[markabilly]

I'd say things changes during the season and I think that FA became beyond any doubts the #2 driver in Hungary.

Second?


I thought he went from pole to 5th :D

[PSfan]

If I remember correctly McLaren lost some sponsors when Alonso left, I'm sure had he agreed to McLaren's terms he could have stayed there, those terms were most likely un-acceptable to Alonso compared to the one's he has from Renault.

I was just pointing out the flaw in your previous post saying that he had to move out of McLeran :p :



could you give a link to those reactions. :)

I am probably gonna have Brian Adams stuck in my head for weeks now after trying to find the podium celebrations for Malaysia on youtube :(

Aren't you a big enough F1 fan to record all the races?

I'll see if I can dig up the races in question, and if still captures does the scenario any justice, I will post pics... otherwise you'll have to take my word for it... :p :

[janneppi]

I
Aren't you a big enough F1 fan to record all the races?
Record them? I won't pay 10 eur/month to see them live on tv. ;)


I'll see if I can dig up the races in question, and if still captures does the scenario any justice, I will post pics... otherwise you'll have to take my word for it... :p :
I'll take it, I just wanted to see how he behaved since I didn't remember it. :)

[leopard]

Do you really think his move to Renault from McLaren increased his chances of a WDC?
Sorry... moving to Renault from McLaren might not make his chances increased for a WDC, but staying at McLaren will obviously increase Ferrari chances to retain their title, because McLaren said "We're racing angainst Fernando" ;)

[ioan]

Renault will most likely give Alonso preferencial treatment over Piquet, at McLaren would have to fight on equal terms.

Equal terms?! Yeah I saw that, only that they run out of air pressure when they filled FA's tires! :rolleyes:

And what about the: "We were racing Alonso not Kimi" quote from the head of the cheaters?! :p :

[ioan]

Why did they sign him then? Are you seriously suggesting that McLaren signed a 2xWDC to be #2 to a rookie (remembering also that Alonso signed to race for McLaren before Hamilton)? Why not put PdlR in the car instead? If your opinion is correct that would have been a far better option.

Let's see:

PDLR?! Are you kidding? FA was a fresh WDC 2 years ago when they signed him (remember this happened at the end of the 2005 season!).
In fact they didn't even knew who was going to race alongside FA at that point as they were hoping to retain Kimi!
Plus I never sad they signed him to play no2 to a rookie, so don't make up things, will ya! :rolleyes:

As I pointed out in my reply to janneppi some bizarre things happened during the season! ;)

[THE_LIBERATOR]

You people really are twisted, it's funny

[ArrowsFA1]

I never sad they signed him to play no2 to a rookie, so don't make up things, will ya! :rolleyes:
This was the conversation I was referring to:

Do you really think his move to Renault from McLaren increased his chances of a WDC?

McLaren was never going to give him that chance over Hamilton.
You're quite right that you didn't say McLaren signed Alonso to play #2 to a rookie, but you do appear to be saying that McLaren were never going to give Alonso a chance of winning the WDC with Hamilton in the team.

I'm just interested in exactly when they (allegedly) decided this in your view. Clearly it wasn't when Alonso signed because his team-mate hadn't been decided then. So was it the moment when McLaren decided to give Hamilton the seat? Was Alonso's future with the team determined at that point? Or was it later? After the Australian GP perhaps, when Hamilton made such an impressive debut? Or after Bahrain when he outqualified and beat Alonso in the race for the first time? Or maybe Spain when Lewis beat Fernando again and took the lead in the championship? Was it beginning to dawn on Alonso at that point that he was regularly being beaten by a rookie in the same car, particularly as we know from Pat Symonds's comments how he reacted at Renault when beaten by a team-mate. Then there was Monaco and LH's reaction to being instructed to 'hold position' rather than race his team-mate to the finish. Was that the point at which the team decided? Maybe Hamilton's wins in the next two races influenced them, because Alonso certainly struggled in France, although he had the edge in the next two races before the showdown in Hungary. At that point it's fairly safe to say that the Alonso/McLaren relationship was always going to end.

There were many "bizarre things" that happened during the season, but in my view Alonso's position within the team were as much to do with his actions and attitude, as they were McLaren's approach towards him.

At the start of the 2007 season I think McLaren felt they had the best possible driver combination on the grid. No-one expected Hamilton to perform to the level he did, and his performances put pressure on both the team and Alonso. Perhaps neither dealt with the situation nearly as well as they could have done, but I don't believe it is accurate to say, as you have, that "McLaren were never going to give Alonso a chance of winning the WDC with Hamilton in the team".

[ioan]

Then there was Monaco and LH's reaction to being instructed to 'hold position' rather than race his team-mate to the finish. Was that the point at which the team decided?

I think it was after Monaco, Lewis accused the team of helping Alonso and not him, while he was the faster driver.
He might have even threatened to leave if he doesn't get his way. Well, he got his way from that moment on.

Did you ever questioned why after Hungary where LH managed publicly, again, to make the team look like a bunch of idiots there was no reaction against him from RD?
The same RD however went on to treat FA badly, as bad as stating publicly that the team was racing against him in China.

[ArrowsFA1]

I think it was after Monaco, Lewis accused the team of helping Alonso and not him, while he was the faster driver.
He might have even threatened to leave if he doesn't get his way. Well, he got his way from that moment on.
According to Adam Cooper's review of the Monaco GP in Autosport (http://www.autosport.com) Hamilton "made it clear after the race that he hadn't fully understood why he had been called in earlier than expected" given his fuel load (5 laps heavier than Alonso in Q). The British press went nuts and suggested it was because the team wanted Alonso to win, whereas the team said the decision was made to cover the possibility of a safety car period affecting either drivers' result.

Hamilton only "got his way" only in the sense that he went out and won the next two races. I don't think that Alonso's errors in Canada, for example, could have been blamed on the team could they?

Did you ever questioned why after Hungary where LH managed publicly, again, to make the team look like a bunch of idiots there was no reaction against him from RD?
The same RD however went on to treat FA badly, as bad as stating publicly that the team was racing against him in China.
I agree that Hungary was a farce, and both drivers were at fault. It's amazing to think how the apparently simple act of disobeying a team instruction by Hamilton led to a keystone kops type pitlane situation, and threats relating to a separate issue! Perhaps RD should have suspended both drivers and replaced them with Pedro and Gary at that point :D

As for China, the simple fact of the matter is that Hamilton was racing Alonso, as opposed to Raikkonen. RD may have let slip the term "we" because of the fact his relationship with Alonso was non-existent, but it was a simple reflection of the facts of the race.

[markabilly]

I think it was after Monaco, Lewis accused the team of helping Alonso and not him, while he was the faster driver.
He might have even threatened to leave if he doesn't get his way. Well, he got his way from that moment on.

Did you ever questioned why after Hungary where LH managed publicly, again, to make the team look like a bunch of idiots there was no reaction against him from RD?
The same RD however went on to treat FA badly, as bad as stating publicly that the team was racing against him in China.


This is the kind of delusions that happens when you stay off the kool aid...... :D



According to Adam Cooper's review of the Monaco GP in Autosport (http://www.autosport.com) Hamilton "made it clear after the race that he hadn't fully understood why he had been called in earlier than expected" given his fuel load (5 laps heavier than Alonso in Q). The British press went nuts and suggested it was because the team wanted Alonso to win, whereas the team said the decision was made to cover the possibility of a safety car period affecting either drivers' result.

Hamilton only "got his way" only in the sense that he went out and won the next two races. I don't think that Alonso's errors in Canada, for example, could have been blamed on the team could they?

I agree that Hungary was a farce, and both drivers were at fault. It's amazing to think how the apparently simple act of disobeying a team instruction by Hamilton led to a keystone kops type pitlane situation, and threats relating to a separate issue! Perhaps RD should have suspended both drivers and replaced them with Pedro and Gary at that point :D

As for China, the simple fact of the matter is that Hamilton was racing Alonso, as opposed to Raikkonen. RD may have let slip the term "we" because of the fact his relationship with Alonso was non-existent, but it was a simple reflection of the facts of the race.


Now see when you drink the kool aid like a good Brit, it is easy to ignore that when Hamilton only "got his way" only in the sense that he went out and won the next two races. Hamilton got the pole as well as pit stop advantages, and had the lighter tank for the Q runs . and ignore what happenned and who was penalised at hungary and who was not, with the result of not only the race, and the pole position being taken away, but with those points added back for even a second place or third place for FA, and FA is WDC --indeed, even easier to worship hamilton and condemn FA for what happenned, and most of all, from the mouth of intergrity, the leader of team equality, to let slip the words "we" against FA......

well "it was a simple reflection of facts" about the whole team, not one race

:beer:

All in all it was a good thing for Kimi....talk about having some good luck for a change

[ArrowsFA1]

All in all it was a good thing for Kimi...
No arguments there :p :

[DonJippo]

All in all it was a good thing for Kimi....talk about having some good luck for a change

Yes thinking of it...finally after so many years of trying Ron Dennis finally managed to play the game for Kimi :D

[woody2goody]

This is the kind of delusions that happens when you stay off the kool aid...... :D

OH YEAH!