Reply to: F1 - Hamilton has joined Mercedes

[nomadd]

Lewis only did it 'cause ez black.

[BrilloPad]

Mercedes engineers excited by prospect of working closely with Nicole Sherzinger

[Old Hack]

Really? At the last GP the speculation was rife that exactly that would happen

No, I get that, but I thought he'd decided to stay with Mclaren, due to what was being said post SIngapore. I just thought he'd stay, with those platitudes they were all pasing out, and Button agreeing to be his wing man etc.

[Platypus]

I think that's an unfair description of Perez these days. Yes he's a pay driver, but he's bloody quick too and a rising star of the circuit as he can do it without crashing into others at the same time.

^^ yep, absolutely agree

[Platypus]

Didn't see that coming.

Really? At the last GP the speculation was rife that exactly that would happen

[the_rangdo]

Good move IMHO.

Mclaren generally produce great cars, but they're not the fastest over the full season, or when they are they shoot themselves in the foot with sheer stupidity making it very hard to compensate for the odd breakdown when it occurs.

For the 2nd highest race winning team in recent years to not have had a WCC title this century, and only one WDC, is pretty shocking really.

Lewis has been with them for 14 years, so that's a fair bit of loyalty he's shown (and them to him) but as we contractors know too well, things can get stale/boring and change is a good kick up the pants.

[Old Hack]

Compared to McLaren the Medcedes car is not as well developed and whether the engineers will produce something that gives results is something you'll have to wait and see.

So we may see not much of a result from Hamilton next year but possibly am improvement the years after. hopefully he's patient enough to wait for that.

Each year is a new blank canvas; we'll only know in Jan what the 2013 Merc and Mclaren is like. I am told Mercedes are already hard at work on the new car. Who knows. Could be a massive success, failure, or somewhere in between.

[norrahe]

In all fairness, no F1 driver is likeable, and they all bitch and moan like schoolkids. Button this year has bitched and moaned more than his team mate, but they all do, you only get some of the radio feed on Sky and BBC.

Compared to McLaren the Medcedes car is not as well developed and whether the engineers will produce something that gives results is something you'll have to wait and see.

So we may see not much of a result from Hamilton next year but possibly am improvement the years after. hopefully he's patient enough to wait for that.

[Old Hack]

It's a shame for the UK audience though, two English world champions in a top team which is also British or very British-biased is pretty much a dream come true.

Sort of true. Bruce Mclaren was a Kiwi if I recall, and started his own company, which joined with Ron Dennis's team (Project 4) and is why all cars start with MP4 (Mclaren/Project 4). He formed it with Bahrainian money, and has an equal share with the Bahrain Royal Family. They've only just bought back 40% which Mercedes owned. I've always considered it an English team, like you, though.

Williams for me was the true English team, and Mclaren was always the villains for me. Never warmed to Ron Dennis at all. I think every English F1 fan was really happy when Williams won in Spain.

[Old Hack]

All of it, great for his publicity company and him as a brand and for mercedes, but for him as a driver, career suicide!

Cue lots of rants from Hamilton on the car not performing next year.

In all fairness, no F1 driver is likeable, and they all bitch and moan like schoolkids. Button this year has bitched and moaned more than his team mate, but they all do, you only get some of the radio feed on Sky and BBC.

[norrahe]

How much of this is marketing the Hamilton brand?

All of it, great for his publicity company and him as a brand and for mercedes, but for him as a driver, career suicide!

Cue lots of rants from Hamilton on the car not performing next year.

[d000hg]

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I've always thought having two British drivers (or in fact two drivers of the same nationality whatever it is) must have been a problem, sponsorship wise.

It's a shame for the UK audience though, two English world champions in a top team which is also British or very British-biased is pretty much a dream come true.

[Old Hack]

Fair enough, your reasoning is sound. And I would imagine that Button was privately irritated by the recruitment of Perez who might well be able to match him in the same car.

I can see that too. I think he'll have his handsfull with a very, very motivated Perez.

[cojak]

Yes, I know that, he and Maldonado are very quick, but are still pay drivers, and I was wondering, aloud, if that's the reason Perez got the gig and not someone else. Perez is bankrolled by TelMex, the largest Telco in South America and, for me, it's fairly obvious why they have gone for Perez, for their sponsorship with Vodafone expires at the end of the year.

A little part of me thinks this has been planned all along, as Vodafone were title sponsors, and it's well known they were leaving...

It's actually interesting, for Button has been absolutely dominated this year by Hamilton, and I rate Perez, so it could be Perez unsettling Button next year, as such.

Fair enough, your reasoning is sound. And I would imagine that Button was privately irritated by the recruitment of Perez who might well be able to match him in the same car.

[VectraMan]

Yes, I know that, he and Maldonado are very quick, but are still pay drivers, and I was wondering, aloud, if that's the reason Perez got the gig and not someone else. Perez is bankrolled by TelMex, the largest Telco in South America and, for me, it's fairly obvious why they have gone for Perez, for their sponsorship with Vodafone expires at the end of the year.

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I've always thought having two British drivers (or in fact two drivers of the same nationality whatever it is) must have been a problem, sponsorship wise.

There's no question Perez deserves a drive with a top team though.