why did hamilton move to mercedes GP ?

[lebesset]

it seems a long time ago now , but there was much discussion as to whether or not this was a good move for him
following the large budget cut back during the brawn days ..... the team still seemed to have a long way to get back , the new technical staff was on the way , but that doesn't guarantee success

from listening to Lauda previously I got the impression that it was he who convinced hamilton to make the move ....from comments I heard this past weekend it seems not

ross brawn came and sat in my mum's kitchen and persuaded me .... nothing equivocal in that

the other person involved in his decision ? his old mate nico rosberg ! I didn't quite catch what was said but I think nico pointed out to hamilton that he told him to transfer as well , that it wasn't just ross wanted him to come

says a lot for both ross brawn AND nico rosberg in my book

frankly I am a little saddened at the fact that no acknowledgement of ross's contribution to the team is being made , it's as though he never existed ; he got screwed by the politics at ferrari , and now the same at mercedes ; he may be having the last laugh thanks to his treatment by honda , but he would be less than human if there wasn't a bitter taste at not being able to enjoy the fruits of his labours this year

[Pierce89]

I pretty well agree with everything you said.

[turbof1]

Mercedes surely did their part to convince Hamilton, but I also think and actually heard he wasn't happy anymore at Mclaren.

There were contract renewal negotiations, but he and mclaren didn't got to an agreement. Rumors were that Hamilton wasn't allowed to keep the original trophies, it's custom for mclaren to show those at their centre in woking, and that he didn't got a pay raise, even had to do with less.

And then there's of course the team simply failing him. He had a very quick car, but there were random glitches that costed him a lot of points, as well not introducing updates at critical moments.

We'll never know the exact truth, but several random events came together in one period: Schumacher was at the end of his contract, Hamilton at his, car not functioning well, etc.

[zonk]

Q: So, did Hamilton leave McLaren because Mercedes were offering a bigger salary?

A: It was easy to believe that initially, with talk of an annual $12m offer from Mercedes compared to McLaren's rumoured $7.5m, except that the latter was increased in recent weeks to a sum said to be a lot closer to Mercedes' offer. It could be, however, that the revised offer simply came too late to make a difference. If it is about money, it's more likely to have been XIX Entertainment seeking the big score than Hamilton.



Q: Is it about the commercial rights, then?

A: Partly. Hamilton has wanted greater freedom for some time to develop his own brand, and he was severely restricted in that aspiration by the terms of his McLaren contract. Mercedes offer him much greater freedom on the commercial side, which will enable Hamilton to build something for the future.

Q: Was there anything else that might have come into play?

A: Insiders at McLaren have hinted that Ron Dennis may have pushed the paternal side of things too much, and there's a case for thinking that, after 14 years with the team, Hamilton had to 'leave home' to show he has grown up. It's not that he was regarded as part of the furniture but that he felt the need for a new environment in which to express himself.



Q: Why swap McLaren – who have won races this season – for Mercedes, who have been off the pace of late?

A: That's the key question, especially when Hamilton recently reiterated that his number one interest is winning. That makes his decision look like career suicide, given that Mercedes have won a single race to McLaren's 16 in the past three seasons since the German manufacturer bought Brawn in their world championship-winning year. And that while McLaren have challenged for the title in each of those years, Mercedes have not.

Insiders suggest that Hamilton felt he had to 'escape' McLaren, and that with little interest from either Red Bull or Ferrari – where neither Sebastian Vettel nor Fernando Alonso would welcome such a blisteringly quick team-mate – Mercedes were the only remaining option with even any credibility.

"I know we made a very, very big financial offer, bigger than I believe any Formula One driver is enjoying today," McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says. "I know what we did but I think it is better for others to comment on these things rather than for me speculate."

Q: What about the suggestion that Mercedes will have an advantage in 2014 when new turbo engines come into play? Will it have an impact that McLaren are just a customer?

A McLaren have been a Mercedes customer for three years now, yet they have flogged Mercedes in the victory stakes, and there is no reason why Mercedes should have an advantage with the car they build for 2014 just because they manufacture its engine.

source: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/moto ... 90422.html

The F1 legend, who handled secret talks for Mercedes, claims what attracted the 28-year-old was the tantalising possibility of becoming the most famous racer the sport has seen.

Until now it was thought the major factor was Hamilton’s fury at boss Ron Dennis’ handling of contract talks and his own desire for a fresh challenge.

But Lauda said: “I was very impressed with Lewis from the start because people told me he was young and couldn’t make decisions but I found he was like me; he was pragmatic and direct:, he wanted the quickest route to success.

“But the biggest problem I had in talks was when Lewis said to me ‘Niki, why should I leave McLaren? I can win races here’.

“And remember last year McLaren were really competitive and Mercedes were nowhere.

“I said ‘if you look at it like that, you are right, you shouldn’t leave’.

“But then something just popped into my head and I said ‘But I can tell you one thing: if you drive for Mercedes and you are successful after Schumacher [wasn’t] you could be a bigger name and bigger legend than he or I’ve ever been – even after burning my ear, crashing nearly to death and making my comeback.

“He said ‘Are you serious?’ I said ‘Yes, if you don’t want to take risks then stay with Ron and McLaren. Maybe you will have more success but it must get really boring.”

“I saw in his eyes he was thinking about it. And finally he was convinced.”

source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1 ... da-1936155

[Emerson.F]

Funny looking back and seeing where Mclaren are now. Especially team leader...

[Shrieker]

Had Hamilton remained at Macca, he couldn't have dragged that car to a win either in 2013 (maybe some podiums), and this year they are simply woeful. He would be kicking himself in the balls nowadays had he remained. Good for him he didn't.

[mrluke]

Hammy made the right choice. He needed the change and its a plus that Mercedes have a good car.

If it wasnt for hamiltons performances in the 2012 mclaren, nobody would say it was the best car. Most of all though Mclaren seem unable to develop a car over the season which was always their biggest strength when hamilton was there.

[user001]

since 2008 mclaren couldn't provide him with a reliable AND winning car. nethertheless they should have won more titles.

the failure at singapore 2012 maybe was what tipped him over. trophies and other "amenities" where not the strinking point in my opinion.

lauda once said, that he told HAM in his hotel room that he would be THE real man if he would be the one to "turn" MERC over to be a WC winner. regarding that Schumacher couldn't achieve that in years at Merc.

and one other striking point probably also have been that Hamilton is managed by Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment. And it was said that Hamilton was granted by Merc to promote himself as a kind of "Superstar" like Beckham. This would be also something he wasn't able to do at McLaren.

[avl0]

I think it just goes to show that in life half of everything is luck and that as long as you're happy with the reasons you made decisions you can't beat yourself up about the results too much.

You could've made a strong argument to stay and a strong one to leave and at the time I don't think either would've been a bad decision.

[notsofast]

I thought it was very strange when Schumacher decided to leave Benetton to go to Ferrari. We all know how that turned out. Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut.

[Cam]

Mercedes surely did their part to convince Hamilton, but I also think and actually heard he wasn't happy anymore at Mclaren.

There were contract renewal negotiations, but he and mclaren didn't got to an agreement. Rumors were that Hamilton wasn't allowed to keep the original trophies, it's custom for mclaren to show those at their centre in woking, and that he didn't got a pay raise, even had to do with less.

And then there's of course the team simply failing him. He had a very quick car, but there were random glitches that costed him a lot of points, as well not introducing updates at critical moments.

We'll never know the exact truth, but several random events came together in one period: Schumacher was at the end of his contract, Hamilton at his, car not functioning well, etc.

This. I'm no Hamilton fan, but it was easy to see he was hating McLaren and the suffocation it brought. Red Bull said no, Ferrari has Alonso, so no go...who else was there?

Hamilton needed to leave to 'flex his wings' so to speak. He needed to leave the safety blanket of Ron's teet and learn to survive on his own. You can see how when he did this he initially had issues - women, friends, dogs at the track.... like a kid who's left home and found freedom, he kind of went off the rails a bit. He needed that though and he needed to make the errors and learn the lessons. He's certainly come a long way now and I'm happy for him. Hope he looses the WDC though

[astracrazy]

frankly I am a little saddened at the fact that no acknowledgement of ross's contribution to the team is being made , it's as though he never existed ; he got screwed by the politics at ferrari , and now the same at mercedes ; he may be having the last laugh thanks to his treatment by honda , but he would be less than human if there wasn't a bitter taste at not being able to enjoy the fruits of his labours this year

I know what your saying and for sure i'd like to of seen him in Paddy's position this year because I think he deserved it. But tbh whilst i think Ross should get some credit for this year its not solely down to him. At the end of the day he brought in the clever people and then the clever people done there work. I don't think Bob Bell has had a mention and he prob deserves just as much credit as Ross.

I think there was a role for Ross but it just wasn't the role he wanted. I don't think he got screwed because i think it was always coming - he himself always said about the soft transition.

Regarding bringing Lewis to Merc we don't know which came first. The Ross discussion or the Lauda one. I think the Ross one was first and was followed by Lauda doing the convincing....

[lebesset]

Regarding bringing Lewis to Merc we don't know which came first. The Ross discussion or the Lauda one. I think the Ross one was first and was followed by Lauda doing the convincing....[/quote]

not according to hamilton , and why should he lie ?

so if you know it's coming you can't get screwed ?

[Emerson.F]

One things for sure.. He silents all the critics.

[Hobbs04]

One things for sure.. He silents all the critics.

Not me. He won't convince me with this car. Chilton could be WDC in the W05. Unfortunately I'd rather win the title as Vettel 10 and 12 or how Lewis did in 08. This year will only be remembered as the one where Mercedes had the trick turbo. Just like the DDD or the EBD. Best case for Lewis is a Rosberg challenge as we had in 88. Otherwise the history books won't have a very long chapter for 2014 season.

Regarding leaving macca for merc we will never truly know. Lewis likes it that way.