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Hamilton to leave McLaren to join Mercedes
Topic Started: Sep 28 2012, 04:38 AM (1,453 Views)
PiquetFan
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The Grauniad are reporting that it's a done deal, and will be announced today:

Lewis Hamilton set to leave McLaren to join Mercedes

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Mercedes are expected to announce that seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher will quit the team at the end of the season in November, making room for Hamilton's sensational switch, a move that will reverberate through the Formula One paddock for the remainder of this season.


I believe that a move will revitalize Hamilton.
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PiquetFan
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Similar story in the Torygraph

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Lewis Hamilton will on Friday bring to an end one of the most controversial and long-running transfer sagas in Formula One history by announcing that he is leaving McLaren, the team he has been with over half his life, for rivals Mercedes in a three-year deal which could be worth as much as $100million (£61.6million).
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Lord Tau
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BBC are also reporting the story, also saying McLaren have signed Perez as his replacement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19755236
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u4coffee
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EJ was right!!!!

Didn't he also say at the last GP that things would happen by the end of the week??
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Norbert
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I think on balance McLaren will be happy. They've lost a huge wage bill and a Prima Donna playboy who is often in the news for the wrong reasons and strives to shy away from their renowned and demanding PR schedule and personal sponsorship limitations. They'll be gaining a highly commended driver in Perez who has shown the ability to be very quick sometimes, or very often quite quick and make the tyres last forever. Put him in a decent car like the McLaren is, and he may very well shine like Lewis did to begin with.

I'm not sure what Mercedes will gain. Lewis is a very fast driver, but he's high maintenance and it's questionable just how good he is at helping develop the car. I don't recall it being all that stellar when Heikki was in the team, and you wonder how much of the development of the McLaren is down to Lewis, and how much to Jenson. I really don't know, so that could be an interesting one to watch.

Apart from money, and maybe McLaren being fed up with a spoiled child (the creation of which is entirely their own doing, I might add), I cannot see any merit in this move. Mercedes is not a team looking like doing anything spectacular in the near future. Perhaps Lewis is gambling on those silly new regs for 2014 and Ross Brawn having a habit of catching people asleep when there are upsets in the rulebook.

Meanwhile, that leaves MS up in the air. This year he's qualified very well in comparison to Rosberg (at least in comparison to their comparison over the last three years) but the results have been lacking, and that's not always been the car's fault. We assume that Merc won't pay off Rosberg to keep MS, and why would/should they? He always said this comeback was a couple of years plus maybe a third if he wanted. It would seem natural that he'd retire, however Perez has left Sauber if this story rings true, and who was it that MS was driving for when he was borrowed by Eddie Jordan for F1? Having just re-read the BBC article, apparently Peter Sauber said he'd offer MS a seat if he ever became available, however it doesn't say when he said that.....
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Norbert
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PiquetFan,Sep 28 2012
05:45 AM
Similar story in the Torygraph

Quote:
 
Lewis Hamilton will on Friday bring to an end one of the most controversial and long-running transfer sagas in Formula One history by announcing that he is leaving McLaren, the team he has been with over half his life, for rivals Mercedes in a three-year deal which could be worth as much as $100million (£61.6million).

Apparently he only told them yesterday! That's one hell of a kick in the balls for a team that basically made him....! <thumbsdown>
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ELUSIVEJIM
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Norbert,Sep 28 2012
07:34 AM
PiquetFan,Sep 28 2012
05:45 AM
Similar story in the Torygraph

Quote:
 
Lewis Hamilton will on Friday bring to an end one of the most controversial and long-running transfer sagas in Formula One history by announcing that he is leaving McLaren, the team he has been with over half his life, for rivals Mercedes in a three-year deal which could be worth as much as $100million (£61.6million).

Apparently he only told them yesterday! That's one hell of a kick in the balls for a team that basically made him....! <thumbsdown>

I really hope Perez can step up to the pressure of driving for Mclaren.

Mclaren have been pushed into a situation which they had little control of but in losing Lewis I think the team will be stronger on the whole.

Perez is a massive talent and I am very very suprised Ferrari did not sign him alongside Alonso.

To be honest I am neither a fan of Lewis nor Nico so I hope the Mercedes is cr** <peek>

Schumacher is bound to retire.

Yes he is suppose to have been offered a seat at Sauber which would keep him in F1 but does he really want to be down the field further?

Unless Schumacher is signing for a top team which is now near impossible he will retire :s
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Lord Tau
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Rumour has it Schumi has been offered a drive by Sauber, presumably to replace Perez.
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Lex
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That could be a fantastic boon to Sauber. They have an undeniably quick car, but have they ever had an über-talented driver to help them really develop it!

Could see Schumi winning with them... As long as he finishes the race...

<peek>
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PiquetFan
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A quote from James Allen taken from the Beeb:

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There have been signs the relationship between Hamilton and McLaren was coming to an end, and if he had signed a new contract with them it would have been like a couple staying together for the children.
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Norbert
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A bit like James Allen staying on the BBC? lol
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Norbert
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Lex,Sep 28 2012
10:46 AM
That could be a fantastic boon to Sauber. They have an undeniably quick car, but have they ever had an über-talented driver to help them really develop it!

Could see Schumi winning with them... As long as he finishes the race...

<peek>

I'm not so sure. I think that both moves would more underline how very ordinary Rosberg is, how it's helped make MS look a little quicker, and possibly that Brawn might have been better off signing a different German three years ago. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle of that lot. I just think it would be a little sad for MS to leave F1 without another win, or a decent haul of points. However, he did say that while he'd obviously like to win, he just wanted to have fun, and he's always maintained he's been having fun since his comeback, so I guess he won't be too sad within himself.
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Rob
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I am shocked.
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Grieves
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I'd love to see Schumacher back at Ferrari as a No. 2 driver... <peek>
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Jack
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Bad choice for a few coins. The McLaren was (is) a winner car.
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