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I find it hard to beleive that Lewis actually is contemplating leaving Mclaren but its his decision

Yeah, no. He was clearly happy under Ron, and Ron was very strict. It isn't about strictness, but how the team has run. Nobody can claim it runs as well under Whitmarsh as it was under Ron.

Apart from Whitmarsh.

this

Yet Williams has the history of kicking their championship winning drivers out because they wanted a pay raise.....

Think longterm. F1 moves to V6 Turbo formula in 2014. Outside Ferrari, Mercedes is the only current team with its own engine program. Plus, aligning yourself with marquee name such as Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, or McLaren will be beneficial to your brand.

And then what happens when Mercedes pulls the plug on the works outfit and merely acts as a supplier to a privateer team called AMG? Which is in all likelihood going to happen.

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BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

I was going to say "but surely they will change to accommodate for Hamilton", but then I seem to recall Kimi asked a bit too much, and they gave him the finger for a sensational GP return.

then Hamilton goes to the privateer. I don't seem to recall a really talented driver missing out because the team pulls the plug (although Jenson came very close).

Williams were never going to pay Kimi. The whole deal was dependent on a Qatari communications company paying Kimi and getting their logos on the car for free, a similar deal to Santander and Alonso.

Besides, it's Williams. So long as Frank is there he will not pay above what he thinks a driver is worth, and I don't think Wolff would either.

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

You've misunderstood the point I was making. Hamilton is being contracted by Mercedes, but clearly as part of that contract there will need to be some guarantees about Mercedes continuing as an official works team for a certain length of time. However that flies in the face of the expectations that Mercedes will soon (next couple of years) pull out as a works team but continue as a supplier to a privateer / semi-works entry run by AMG.

I think the money is just a front, there is more to this than just the amount Lewis wants to be paid. McLaren being run by Whitmarsh is a joke and has shown on many an occassion that it is not fully supporting Lewis.

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BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Lewis has a level of pace that Jenson doesn't have. He's an out and out racer, but he's only going to get better.

The fact that should stare Whitmarsh fully in the face is that Lewis would have won that race and Jenson did not. In 2011, Jenson had a good year, but Lewis was frequently faster when he wasn't crashing into Felipe. If you give Lewis a top car, he will always do it justice. That's my main point. He might crash out or make a mistake, but he won't toddle around outside the top ten.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

well, that's what I thought after 2007. But to me, his debut year was probably still his finest in terms of consistency and impressions he left. Dare I say that Lewis is an "emo" who is very dependent upon his mood setting?

Hamilton's problem is that he basically needs to have his hand held. He needs the team fully around him otherwise he just falls apart.

He will not get that at Mercedes.

He needs a team principal who knows how to do his bloody job.

For that matter, so does Jenson.

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

Hamilton is moody, but then again, they all are.

Sebastian is not the happy-go-lucky guy that everyone thinks he is. He can be irritable, cocky and gets his own way. Ditto with Fernando. But that's what 90% of top racing drivers have as an attribute and it wins them titles.

Lewis was consistent in 2007 because for most of the season he had the best car. This season, his own performances have been consistent, when you consider the wacky nature of 2012, but he's been let down by factors out of his own doing.

Anyway, Korea has been doing some publicity...
[youtubeidiot]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjqNm_nKeCw[/youtubeidiot]

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Any examples? I know Hamilton was unhappy with having a different wing to Button at Spa, but I thought that was his decision, not the teams?

Well forcing Lewis to lie to the press in Albert Park a few years back, AFTER Lewis had given the interviews on BBC, that wasn't supportive and just made Lewis look like a lying prick. In reality it was his third year in F1, he was still young enough that when his boss told him to do something, he did it without question. But as far as I'm concerned, that was one of the most pathetic and disgusting moves I've ever seen a team owner to his own driver.

And it's not the only time it's happened either. Whitmarsh regularly contradicts his drivers (and video evidence) and creates issues within the team. Whilst it may not be specifically targeted at Lewis, there is no doubt in my mind that he doesn't support his drivers the same way Ron supported Lewis (although Rons treatment of Alonso, DC, Heikki and Hakkinen before Sennas move is another matter).

I want to like McLaren, but I can't like Whitmarsh.



He's extremely irritable when he's having a bad time. As should they be. Similarly, every driver out there is cocky. Non-cocky drivers don't win world championships. I think people seem to expect unrealistic things from drivers now days. Vettel conducts himself EXTREMELY well in public, which can't be said for a lot of other drivers. Similarly, I think it's a disgrace that people rag on Lewis for not being over the moon 24/7. So the man has issues, some of it may not even be F1 related. Who knew that being an F1 driver doesn't solve every problem in the world?

What I also hate is that everyone seems to think that to be an F1 driver, you have to be happy all the time. It's ridiculous. If it was having a negative effect on his driving, it's something to question. The fact that Lewis has taken 3 poles and 2 wins in the last 4 races (and it could have been 3) shows that his mood is fine.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

No one expects a driver to be happy all the time. It seems as if every time Hamilton is unhappy about something, he makes a point to make it known to the public.