15 replies to this topic

[apexhead]

Not sure how credible this guy is, but if true...wow:

Quote

Lewis Hamilton will not remain with McLaren

next season and could even leave the Woking-based outfit before the end of this year, according to French TV F1 commentator, Jean-Louis Moncet.

Writing in his latest Auto Plus blog, he says one of his 'best sources' has told him the that Englishman is keen to move on - and that sensationally the 2008 F1 World Champion might actually jump ship before the 2012 season ends, if the 'situation does not improve', with McLaren having made 'serious contact' with Paul di Resta.

Article source: crash.net/f1/news/180340/1/hamilton_to_leave_mclaren_may_do_so_before_end_of_year.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

Edited by apexhead, 01 June 2012 - 10:48 PM.

[Massa]

I don't know where he'd move on mid-season.  It would only make sense to do that if he were:

1) Out of title contention.

2) Going to the team he planned on being with in 2013+.

The only way 2 would happen is if he's going to Ferrari, and I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense.

But it's interesting...

...it's also crash.net.

I guess there's also:

3) I said his next contract after McLaren would be a NASCAR one back in like 2010 or 2011 or 1992 or whatever year it is now (probably a different year in New Zealand with that time zone crap)...let's see...he did that Mobil 1 deal with Tony Stewart, who has an opening for 2013, and Roger Penske has to be disappointed with A.J. Allmendinger...

[apexhead]

Massa, on 01 June 2012 - 10:50 PM, said:

I don't know where he'd move on mid-season.  It would only make sense to do that if he were:

1) Out of title contention.

2) Going to the team he planned on being with in 2013+.

The only way 2 would happen is if he's going to Ferrari, and I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense.

But it's interesting...

...it's also crash.net.

I guess there's also:

3) I said his next contract after McLaren would be a NASCAR one back in like 2010 or 2011 or 1992 or whatever year it is now (probably a different year in New Zealand with that time zone crap)...let's see...he did that Mobil 1 deal with Tony Stewart, who has an opening for 2013, and Roger Penske has to be disappointed with A.J. Allmendinger...

A mid-season move makes little sense to me, short of the reasons you mention...but I do really wonder if he really to leave at the end of 2012.

Another interesting note: F1Zone.net had a similar story posted, but now it's been removed.

Edited by apexhead, 01 June 2012 - 10:58 PM.

[JHS18]

Who?

I think there's more chance of hell freezing over than Lewis Hamilton quitting McLaren mid season. Unless he does as Juan, by taking Jenson off at the first corner of a race and then quitting to go race in NASCAR after having a secret agreement with Chip Ganassi all along. That'd be cool.

Edited by JHS18, 01 June 2012 - 11:05 PM.

[Quiet One]

I wonder why I keep writing those long walls of text about these subjects.

[Massa]

JHS18, on 01 June 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

Who?

I think there's more chance of hell freezing over than Lewis Hamilton quitting McLaren mid season. Unless he does as Juan, by taking Jenson off at the first corner of a race and then quitting to go race in NASCAR after having a secret agreement with Chip Ganassi all along. That'd be cool.

I'm telling you, the NASCAR thing is honestly plausible (not likely) despite the humor in it.

To put it candidly, NASCAR (not a team, not a sponsor, NASCAR) would pay any talented black driver tens and tens and tens of millions on top of salary, endorsements, etc.  They'd do anything to get a high-profile black athlete, especially when you read things like this: http://www.ebony.com...scar-was-black  Those articles...NASCAR wants them gone.  They would do so much to get Hamilton here for that reason and that's just reality, sorry, that's reality and anyone in NASCAR would confirm that to you.

And for Hamilton, he'd get to be an absolute superstar in the American media, while getting to live with Nicole, who lives in and is based in the U.S., and making a ton of money.  Hamilton's team does a lot of inquiries in the U.S. about raising his profile and brand here; it's a market they seemingly care about.  If he's successful, he gets a lot of glory for doing something so few do in the modern-day: successfully transitioning to another discipline in racing.  He'd also get away from a lot of the stuff that's seemingly making him sour with McLaren and his complaints in the past about FIA stewards and all that.  Do those temptations, and the money, the money he'd be making (more than F1, easily), outweigh being in and being competitive in Formula One to someone who has had that as an ambition his whole life?  No, not at all.

So was any of that worth reading?  No.

Will any of it happen?  No.

But I can see him in NASCAR a lot easier than I can see him at half the F1 teams he's linked to.  If NASCAR were a little more important on the world stage and a little more glamorous than it is now, he'd do it, but right now, no, I doubt it compares to F1 for someone that young and talented, at least not yet.

[Massa]

Moncet commentates for a French network called, get this, TF1.  He's one of us!

It's doing the rounds now, such as here:

http://formula-one.s...o-quit-mclaren/

No doubt we'll consider Brundle more credible because we always seem to favor English-language media for whatever reason (not sure why)...but it's interesting.

On the other hand, I don't consider Brundle or Moncet to be the greatest sources simply because they are TV commentators.  TV commentators, in my experience, have never, ever, ever, ever had any good sources and any reliable scoops and anything to say that was accurate at all when it comes to rumors and speculation.  So there's that, too.

Conclusion: I am stupid and don't know anything but I hope we get a huge shuffling of talent.

[JHS18]

Still can't see it happening, whether it is an English journalist saying it or a French journalist saying it.

It makes absolutely no sense to leave McLaren mid season. Only two drivers have scored points in every race so far, and they are Alonso and Hamilton. Sure, he hasn't won a race yet - but he is still very much in championship contention. I just...can't understand the logic why you'd take yourself out of championship contention on a year when so far you are one of the favourites. It does seem his relationship within McLaren has become strained, particularly last year and a little bit this year, but still. They have a car to win.

There's always going to be ridiculous rumours doing the rounds, and I'm going to put this down as one of those. Moncet probably tried to get more traffic to his article by writing something that he knew wasn't true just to get it picked up on other websites.

[Quiet One]

JHS18, on 02 June 2012 - 01:28 PM, said:

Still can't see it happening, whether it is an English journalist saying it or a French journalist saying it.

It makes absolutely no sense to leave McLaren mid season. Only two drivers have scored points in every race so far, and they are Alonso and Hamilton. Sure, he hasn't won a race yet - but he is still very much in championship contention. I just...can't understand the logic why you'd take yourself out of championship contention on a year when so far you are one of the favourites. It does seem his relationship within McLaren has become strained, particularly last year and a little bit this year, but still. They have a car to win.

There's always going to be ridiculous rumours doing the rounds, and I'm going to put this down as one of those. Moncet probably tried to get more traffic to his article by writing something that he knew wasn't true just to get it picked up on other websites.

Yup but I would not rule out him moving out from Macca by next season. It all comes down to how comfortable he feels there right now and how comfortable he would feel at some other team. As I posted somewhere else, besides money and team capabilities, he might feel better, more confident and thus more capable at some other big team or even a not so big team than he feels right now at Macca. A better enviroment might unleash more potential from a very enviroment sensitive Lewis. If that potential is more than enough to compensate for the car's lack of performance it would be a good bargain (see Alonso for details)

[JHS18]

Well, it hurts me to pay McLaren such a complement - but I do believe any more away from McLaren would more or less be a downgrade from where he is now. It still seems like a lot of people view McLaren as "his" team, like Ferrari is Alonso's team right now. But let's look at it this way, on the options available.

Mercedes - Not been in contention for the title the last two years, only just started winning races this season. Nobody even really knows if they'll even be around next year.
Red Bull - Not been as dominant so far this season as it has been in the last two years.
Ferrari - Not been as dominant as they used to be in a LONG time.

McLaren, with the possible exception of 2009 (even so he won races that year) consistently produce a front running car. Not many teams can really say that, especially when you look at the troubles Ferrari have had recently.

I really can't see Lewis moving away from McLaren personally. To stay at McLaren is (probably) his best bet.

Edited by JHS18, 02 June 2012 - 03:31 PM.

[Massa]

I can't see him leaving midseason, either.  But I see him leaving after 2013.  No team has been dominant because of the tires, nothing else.  If Hamilton believes he can be a better driver in another environment, the top of the grid is close enough that it could make a difference, because enough teams are able to win races and if you can just run consistenly in new F1, you're the champion.

But as I've said many times, if the tire rules change next year, I want to be with McLaren or Red Bull.  Otherwise, Mercedes, Lotus, those are all open to me, too.

I think Mercedes and Ecclestone both said that Mercedes will be back in 2013, or at least hinted at it, by the way.

Performance and working in a team aren't cut-and-dry things.  It isn't just "best driver, best team."  So many other factors play in and Hamilton could easily be a better driver in a new situation.  It's really, really, really hard to do your best work when you aren't there mentally, and if Hamilton's only at 99.9%, that's a big difference in F1.

[Quiet One]

Massa, on 02 June 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

It isn't just "best driver, best team."  

My point, exactly.

It's all about sinergy. And Macca is failing badly at it. Ferrai has (or had, it's irrelevant) a lousy, lousy car. Yet the team+driver combination was more than enough to keep them in a place that seems to be way above the car capabilities, compared to the Mercs, RBRs, Poochies or Maccas which all sem to  have better cars.

RBR's car seems no wonder, either, only better balanced that the Ferrari so far. But again the team+driver combination offsets that. Poochie/Merc cars seem great, balanced and fast, but in those cases the teams and drivers are failing behind their cars.

And so on...

[Delta]

I'd be really surprised if he leaves the team mid season, but I wouldn't be all that surprised to see him leave at the end of the season.

[LabradoRacer]

Looie's increasing rants against poor pitstops and other stuff places a move within the realm of possibility.

[dribbler]

This is utter horse manure.

[The Shadow]

Leveraging for a 'Nando sized paycheck? Its not the first time someone's done that....