only time will tell, but I suspect Perez will win a WDC before Hamilton (if he ever wins another), Mercedes was a big name in F1, 40 years ago, but they've never shown anything since they've been back in F1. This is what happens when you hire advisors who are only in it for the money.
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 don't disagree with the points about his management, but let's Remember that McLaren haven't had a lot of success since Hakkinen. If they can't afford to pay Hamilton his current salary, will have to pay for engines going forward and could potentially lose more sponsors going forward... things could slowly go downhill there.
I don think Jenson was never follwoing lewis on twitter, i noticed that last year (bit odd), Lewis follows him though
I did a bit of digging and he used to follow Hamilton but stopped following him pre season for some reason. Less juicy gossip sadly.
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..
People will always look for a stick to beat Hamilton with, I don't know why that is but it will never change and the cash is one they'll use until he wins for Mercedes. To me, this is more McLaren's mistake than Hamilton's.
Do not doubt our newly crowned F1 oracle Seriously though... I've probably got about the same chance of winning in 2013 as Hamilton does, but you never know I guess. He'll need a Ross Brawn special.
Money is a motivator for anyone, if it wasnt people like Schuey, Kimi etc would race for free! I dont think Lewis should be slated for potentially taking a richer drive because it is often about justifying your value - I would imagine Lewis seeing Alonso on double (maybe triple) would vex him and I can understand that! The reason I wrote this thread initially was because I felt that Lewis wouldn't re-sign and my reasoning was status. Lewis entered F1 to win and to be a multiple WDC something that he should be already! He has shown the speed and lately the maturity, and he has also over that period had a car capable of winning. The Jenson signing made it clear that Lewis was never going to have a team built around him and I have said it on numerous occassions that having a driver capable of beating him on a given weekend would ultimatley prevent him from winning WDC's! These comments are in no way an attempt to be-little Lewis's decession because I think that if he had had a different team mate in 2007, 2010, 2011 or this season, he would probably be at least a triple world champion. If he had stayed at Mclaren, he may have won a WDC in either 2013 or maybe 2014 but the odds would not have been in his favour - a team mate with equal status, amd Alonso/Vettle in very competitive machinery. He is heightening the odds by at least making himself the main man in a team with funding and control over the engine/kers development. At worst he has an equal chance of winning races in this situation with a reliable car as he would in the fast Mclaren with JB. The flip side is that if (and its a big if) JB can regularily outperform Perez, remain consistent and the Mclaren is fast - next year could be awful for Lewis who potentially may be looking back at what could have been!
