Vodafone McLaren Team 2012

[wunderkind]

MSC/HAM pairing would be something!
But I reckon Lewis will be at McLaren for 2013, for a 1 year deal and then off to Mercedes when the Turbo's kick in. Perez to McLaren would cost a fortune, Sauber have him locked down and He is a Ferrari protege.

From What I'm hearing, what is holding up the drivers market is Schumacher's insistence on an option for 2014. Not enough seats at Merc for that, but Rosberg could be getting the heave in order to accomadate MSC in 2014. It will all unravel this weekend, but things could accelerate if ROS is unhappy with the situation.

The decider might actually be Ferrari. What if Ferrari is looking at signing Massa for 2013 only and to make room for either Rosberg, Vettel, or Perez in 2014? Rosberg is looking impatient while MSC is dragging his feet in the sand.

Getting into a car with a works engine in 2014 maybe not be as important as it seems as there is not yet time to engine suppliers to make different spec engines in the first year of the new engine regime. Engine suppliers would want all their drivers to run the same engine to gather data and get a clear understanding of the engines.

If Vettel leaves RedBull for Ferrari in 2014, that would leave one, or two seats available at RedBull. Hamilton might actually be looking at RedBull as well as Mercedes-AMG.

I think the stumblng block between hamilton and McLaren might actually be money only and nothing else. McLaren wants to bound Lewis to a long term 5 year deal with much of the salary to be paid in the 4th and 5th year so as to keep him at Woking. I think hamilton wants his salary to be paid evenly on an annual basis with a big out-clause so he can stay with McLaren for 2013-2014 at least and will try to leave for another team in 2015 in case if McLaren is not competitive.

[FoxHound]

That could be the case wunderkind. But the key to the driver market at this moment in time is Schumacher and Mercedes.
If Schumacher get his wish of an option for 2014, Hamilton will stay at McLaren until the end of 2013 I think with an open option for 2014 hinging on Schumacher's decision.
What may upset the apple cart is if in the even of a competitive W04 in 2013, is that Schumacher takes up the option and Mercedes will be left with having to usher Rosberg out the door to accomadate Hamilton.

Another question here, has there ever been a WDC driver who has stayed at 1 team for his whole F1 career? in the modern era, I cant think of 1.

[wunderkind]

That could be the case wunderkind. But the key to the driver market at this moment in time is Schumacher and Mercedes.
If Schumacher get his wish of an option for 2014, Hamilton will stay at McLaren until the end of 2013 I think with an open option for 2014 hinging on Schumacher's decision.
What may upset the apple cart is if in the even of a competitive W04 in 2013, is that Schumacher takes up the option and Mercedes will be left with having to usher Rosberg out the door to accomadate Hamilton.

Another question here, has there ever been a WDC driver who has stayed at 1 team for his whole F1 career? in the modern era, I cant think of 1.

Hakkinen.

If I were Hamilton, I'd stay at McLaren for 2013-14 and then see. No one knows who will come up trumps with the V6 engines. May as well wait and see.

[FoxHound]

But he could always rejoin McLaren under the premise of "the return of the prodigal son".
And Hakkinen started at Lotus.

[wunderkind]

But he could always rejoin McLaren under the premise of "the return of the prodigal son".
And Hakkinen started at Lotus.

I know, but Hakkinen finished off his career at McLaren after he won his WDC's.

[FoxHound]

I see what you are saying, but then you could say the same of Prost and Mansell.

I dont think there has ever been a guy who has started his career at a team, won a WDC, and stayed there his entire career.
Maybe Hamilton could be that guy. But the smoke coming from Woking seems to indicate many people there think he is persona non grata.

[wunderkind]

I see what you are saying, but then you could say the same of Prost and Mansell.

I dont think there has ever been a guy who has started his career at a team, won a WDC, and stayed there his entire career.
Maybe Hamilton could be that guy. But the smoke coming from Woking seems to indicate many people there think he is persona non grata.

Prost went to Williams-Renault after winning at McLaren, via Ferrari.

I don't know. But there are only two drivers who are capable of winning with a less-than-perfect car. They are Alonso and Hamilton. I'm beginning to feel Vettel is not as capable as these two.

[FoxHound]

Agree with that.

But I think it may be a bit overly harsh on Vettel. I still think him more than capable of reaching the HAM/ALO bracket, but he is suffering no more than Hamilton did in 2009.

[ajdavison2]

I think we can say the mp4-24 was worse than the rb8

[marcush.]

I see what you are saying, but then you could say the same of Prost and Mansell.

I dont think there has ever been a guy who has started his career at a team, won a WDC, and stayed there his entire career.
Maybe Hamilton could be that guy. But the smoke coming from Woking seems to indicate many people there think he is persona non grata.

oops -jim Clark ,anyone?

[FoxHound]

I think we can say the mp4-24 was worse than the rb8

Can we? Did McLaren not develop the nuts of it until at certain tracks it was the car to beat? That's what I remember.

oops -jim Clark ,anyone?

So there is one. But not detract too far from the thread or being to crass when remarking of someone like Clark's calibre, he died before having to make any choices should they have arisen.

[naniSauber]

Sergio Perez approached as McLaren fear Hamilon departure

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formul ... ilton.html

[marcush.]

jim clark was 8 years with Lotus.
If I´m not mistaken he had no intentions to drive for anyone else -chapman and Clark just were made for each other.

maybe a bit different to Ron Dennis and Hamsy as Hamilton was really a mclaren product -his whole career was supported by the team from early on.

[FoxHound]

jim clark was 8 years with Lotus.
If I´m not mistaken he had no intentions to drive for anyone else -chapman and Clark just were made for each other.

maybe a bit different to Ron Dennis and Hamsy as Hamilton was really a mclaren product -his whole career was supported by the team from early on.

Right, but that is no guarantee that he would have stayed. Anyway, this has strayed off topic for long enough.

[wunderkind]

Maybe it's just all fun and games. What if McLaren and Lewis have already made agreement for next year and beyond, and McLaren is just feeding to the frenzy by baiting Lewis to other teams and invented the Perez story just to see Ferrari's reaction?