Breaking news, Mercedes hire Adrian Newey..... if only
Next season 1 win and a 4+ podiums will be a success for Hamilton. 2014 is where its at!
I think people are being ridiculous, namely the idiots who bbcsportsday are printing on their thread. "Wah wah wah I hate Hamilton for moving teams, just for money, wah wah wah"...
Anyone who thinks that evidently doesn't follow F1 closely, or else is being clouded by some of that weird agenda those freaks have that feel everyone who gets praise needs disdain to temper it. Hamilton and Whitmarsh have had a frosty relationship for years, and his takeover from Dennis has resulted in lots of mis-management and quite a bit of poor team performance, which has infuriated Hamilton. You only have to watch the races where Hamilton has screamed at them down the radio... That alone may be reason for a move.
Profitability wise, even the mighty BBC sports bloggers are clueless as to F1 budgets for next season, but it's fair guess Hamilton will earn more (through extra sponsorship or contract, or both). Yet I think it's fair to say that the motivation of most F1 drivers goes beyond money. Competitiveness is the be all and end all. Nobody on that grid, especially Hamilton, is going to be going around with a smile on their face each weekend because of their bank-balance if the car they drive is a duffer. So, even if substantial pay-rise is the order of the day, you can bet Lewis is expecting to be at the top, and there will undoubtedly have been assurances on this. If Hamilton had a dreamy relationship with Martin (or Jenson perhaps), he wouldn't be looking elsewhere.
In short, it's deluded and arrogant to assume financial benefit as a singular factor.
Do I personally think it'll be a mistake (competitiveness) in the long-run, though? Yes. I think Mercedes might will be felt at some point, as the infrastructure grows each year, but I can't see the silver arrows challenging for another 2/3 seasons, at which point they may become dominant... But 2/3 seasons and 2/3 lost championships is not what Hamilton will be after. It'll certainly be interesting to see if they are as competitive as Brawn will have assured Hamilton they will be... Nobody can offer anything but speculation on it.
Very curious to see what Perez does in a Mclaren mind, and whether that means Button can be the "main man"... I can see Sergio whipping his arse and Whitmarsh talking about Button all the time he's doing it..