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[The Second Coming]

Strangely enough, waking to find this news left me numb for the first hour. It's crazy when you know something is a possibility but when it actually happens, you're in shock.

As for the two moves, I'm simply in a state of pause. I don't know what to expect from AMG next year in terms of the evolution/revolution they make with their car and how good it will be but I have to remain hopeful. They are mighty in motorsports and after three years, it's time to get up off their collective duff. I remain optimistic. The one thing they have going for them is Lewis. We know what he can do with bad cars so if the car is even half way decent, he will be a factor for sure. My guess is, AMG will build this team around Lewis as part of the charge to take on Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren—that's the Brawn formula for success and it still works today as we see with Alonso/Ferrari and Vettel/Red Bull.

Where does that leave McLaren? A lot of REALLY disappointed people will be very uncertain about the team's future. The losing spell has lasted so long until Lewis got there. They saw the arrival of a Championship trophy after such a looooong drought and years when they got the car wrong and he still delivered wins, podiums and lots of Championship points. Now they are faced with the tall order of having to put all their hopes in Perez and Jenson. Jenson will no longer be able to copy Lewis' setups (tho it didn't served him) and when the car is off, Jenson clearly doesn't have the ability to steer his engineers in a direction to solve the big problems. It's always "I have no grip!"...the inference being, "can't you sort it out?" For Perez, I'm more hopeful for him as his driving style is closer to Lewis. If McLaren is clever, they will build the car around him for 2014 and beyond. (We know the 2013 car was built around Lewis so it will suit Perez a bit.) As for Uncle Ron, he must be seething that Whitmarsh let their star get away. Whitmarsh gushed over Jenson so much and put all his hopes in him that it will now be more pressure on him as Team Principal, to achieve success. Uncle Ron is watching now more than ever. This apple cart is going to be interesting to watch as it tumbles down the road in the coming races this season and 2013.

OK, I'm off for coffee. This whole thing still needs more time to simmer in my head. Plus, I need to sort out my whole nick and avatar business. It seems I'm off to AMG.

I'm just saying...

[What's Burning?]

I'll still root for McLaren over Ferrari, for Ferrari over Red Bull, for Lewis over Jenson, for Nico over Jenson, for Jenson over hmmm Okay over Vettel, although there's little chance of that opportunity to root for him in that matchup. So Now I have to see how the grid lines up to see when my root for Jenson formula kicks in. I don't dislike Jenson, and I was happiest when I saw two Mclaren drivers on the podium.

I wonder if Lewis some how comes back into the WDC fold... a simple scenario would be Alonso and Vettel both DNF once or twice in the remaining races, and McLaren continues to exert its dominance with their car.... if Jenson would be asked to move over for Lewis. That would be an nteresting social experiment indeed.

I found the following comments to be very interesting as well;

"Together, we can grow and rise to this new challenge. I believe that I can help steer the Silver Arrows to the top and achieve our joint ambitions of winning the world championships."

Team principal Ross Brawn said Hamilton's arrival gives Mercedes "the most dynamic and exciting driver pairing on the grid", and that the team now has the potential to match any team.

[killem2]

I'm still rooting for McLaren, Perez and Button are both excellent drivers. The only real issues they've had is reliability. I do feel it is foolish for Hamiliton to leave though. At least to Merc, I would have said Red Bull.

Ah well, good luck lewis, I hope it works out for you.

[oaba09]

As a mclaren fan, I'm just glad that the drama is over.....I'm excited to see how perez will do in a top tier team! I might even make him my supported driver next year LOL

[bud]

Unfortunately for strictly Lewis fans knowing the engine specs won't really make much difference come 2014. There might be a slight advantage regarding weight distribution but overall this can be clawed back very easily by a team like McLarem in comparison to Brawn Merc Gp. I fear if Lewis doesn't win the title thus year it will be his last shot.

Alonso will have a very big grin over this news.

[LRW]

Unfortunately for strictly Lewis fans knowing the engine specs won't really make much difference come 2014. There might be a slight advantage regarding weight distribution but overall this can be clawed back very easily by a team like McLarem in comparison to Brawn Merc Gp. I fear if Lewis doesn't win the title thus year it will be his last shot.

Alonso will have a very big grin over this news.

Thing is - We dont know what back-staff movement might happen. 2014 is a long way off. Two years before RBR won their first championship, the same would of been said about them. Thats what I like about F1 - you never know....

[What's Burning?]

Unfortunately for strictly Lewis fans knowing the engine specs won't really make much difference come 2014. There might be a slight advantage regarding weight distribution but overall this can be clawed back very easily by a team like McLarem in comparison to Brawn Merc Gp. I fear if Lewis doesn't win the title thus year it will be his last shot.

Alonso will have a very big grin over this news.

I don't fully disagree with you bud, but then again you look at the numbers the years, the failed attempts and McLaren has little to cheer for that isn't Lewis related in the last decade.

[bud]

See I beg to differ there's been plenty to cheer. Some teams come and go but McLsrens always there, that you cannot deny. How long will Merc stay in F1? The question has been raised since they bought out Brawn by their own people. But hey best of luck to Lew, deserting the team that gave him his career is a brave move, let's hope he doesn't flicker into insignificance just for fame and fortune.

[Jabberwocky]

I think I am more of a Mclaren fan now than ever before.

[What's Burning?]

See I beg to differ there's been plenty to cheer. Some teams come and go but McLsrens always there, that you cannot deny. How long will Merc stay in F1? The question has been raised since they bought out Brawn by their own people. But hey best of luck to Lew, deserting the team that gave him his career is a brave move, let's hope he doesn't flicker into insignificance just for fame and fortune.

Time will indeed tell. Drivers have come and gone and come again have they not? There's a reason Lewis left, and I think the only ones that will every know that reason are those in the very inner sanctum of McLaren.

The only thing McLaren can always rely on is their ability to out manufacture every other team in the long run. That's why I've always been a fan. But still, they've come up empty handed for a decade.

[LRW]

See I beg to differ there's been plenty to cheer. Some teams come and go but McLsrens always there, that you cannot deny. How long will Merc stay in F1? The question has been raised since they bought out Brawn by their own people. But hey best of luck to Lew, deserting the team that gave him his career is a brave move, let's hope he doesn't flicker into insignificance just for fame and fortune.

Its not like he owes them anything. They gave him a career. He gave them a championship. He doesnt owe them diddly-squat.

[What's Burning?]

I feel If there was ever a camel/straw moment between Lewis and McLaren it was the wing at Spa.

[vaptin]

I feel If there was ever a camel/straw moment between Lewis and McLaren it was the wing at Spa.

Webber still stayed at Redbull, guess it's he difference between drivers who have the quality to demand other opportunities.

[darwin dali]

I agree. its not just about the win, its about extracting the max out of the car,

That's Alonso speak, that's sacrilege

[bud]

See I beg to differ there's been plenty to cheer. Some teams come and go but McLsrens always there, that you cannot deny. How long will Merc stay in F1? The question has been raised since they bought out Brawn by their own people. But hey best of luck to Lew, deserting the team that gave him his career is a brave move, let's hope he doesn't flicker into insignificance just for fame and fortune.

Time will indeed tell. Drivers have come and gone and come again have they not? There's a reason Lewis left, and I think the only ones that will every know that reason are those in the very inner sanctum of McLaren.

The only thing McLaren can always rely on is their ability to out manufacture every other team in the long run. That's why I've always been a fan. But still, they've come up empty handed for a decade.

Half that decade was coloured in red, Renault won two on the trot and now look at them, winning championships here sndtrhere isn't everything, look at Ferrari between their first with Schumacher and their previous then there's 20 years gap. Joining a brand new team is akin to Jauques Villanueve