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[racechick]

What a lot of bullpoo Im reading!!
Of course Ferrari want hamilton.
Of course hamilton will ultimately look after his own interests- all the drivers do.
Talking in the padock doesnt mean a contract is being discussed

To answer Mike's initial question-What would racechick do? well that really is a tough one. I hope it doesnt happen but if it did Id have a dilema on my hands. I ultimately follow drivers not teams but over the last few years and especially last year Ive found myself feeling very loyal to McLaren. So what would i do if they split??? Id have to just see how my feelings and response went and see where my support went. Its not something i plan, its an emotional response. Funnily enough when i first started relly getting into F1 I would have gone for ferrari, it was their tactics in the Schumacher era that turned me right off.

[AKR]

It is probably a bluff. Of course Hamilton may grow up soon and become wise and learn to forget loyalties to the team that grew him (McLaren) and go to the team that offers the most money. (Ferrari). Well that is unless he is like me and he believes that nationalty is the world and only stays at McLaren because they are British like him. But I can't see that from Lewis, instead I see MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. So maybe he might to go Ferrari afterall even if he wins a title or 2 with McLaren simply because Ferrari don't want to lose too much if that happens and would offer Lewis Hamilton more money to win a few more championships for them. And if that happens then Sir Hamilton is more than welcome to try and break Michael Schumachers record.

[AKR]

Funnily enough when i first started relly getting into F1 I would have gone for ferrari, it was their tactics in the Schumacher era that turned me right off.

Here is a question for you Racechick and think of the answer carefully before you answer. What would you do if you are so desparate to win a title after not winning one for 21 years? If I were Ferrari I would of done the same and gave everything to Michael Schumacher to achieve this, especially after having failed for 21 years. I think their tactics regarding Michael Schumacher was justfied in this circumstance. If McLaren doesn't win this year it will be 10 years since their last drivers title. If they continue on just losing I can assure you McLaren will copy the Ferrari/Michael Schumacher tactics of not long ago.

[KyrosV]

hamilton will never be better than shue, F1 is too competitive! he might get 1 or 2. but me thinks Alonso may get a third, either massa or raikkonen this year. kubica will get 1 or 2, vettel might get one (hes heading there) and before you know it the next generation is kicking in.

[7UpJordan]

Looks more like some kind of set-up for another one of Weber's PR stunts, he probably arranged for AH and the Ferrari geezer to end up having a conversation.

[scotty]

I love the OTT ridiculousness of the tabloids.

[8-ball]

Funnily enough when i first started relly getting into F1 I would have gone for ferrari, it was their tactics in the Schumacher era that turned me right off.

Here is a question for you Racechick and think of the answer carefully before you answer. What would you do if you are so desparate to win a title after not winning one for 21 years? If I were Ferrari I would of done the same and gave everything to Michael Schumacher to achieve this, especially after having failed for 21 years. I think their tactics regarding Michael Schumacher was justfied in this circumstance. If McLaren doesn't win this year it will be 10 years since their last drivers title. If they continue on just losing I can assure you McLaren will copy the Ferrari/Michael Schumacher tactics of not long ago.

You're absolutely right AKR. 9 years without a title is terrible for a team like Mclaren (and Williams for that matter) and for me that is another reason why Ron Dennis should leave the helm.

[Kiwi_Chris]

Funnily enough when i first started relly getting into F1 I would have gone for ferrari, it was their tactics in the Schumacher era that turned me right off.

Here is a question for you Racechick and think of the answer carefully before you answer. What would you do if you are so desparate to win a title after not winning one for 21 years? If I were Ferrari I would of done the same and gave everything to Michael Schumacher to achieve this, especially after having failed for 21 years. I think their tactics regarding Michael Schumacher was justfied in this circumstance. If McLaren doesn't win this year it will be 10 years since their last drivers title. If they continue on just losing I can assure you McLaren will copy the Ferrari/Michael Schumacher tactics of not long ago.

You're absolutely right AKR. 9 years without a title is terrible for a team like Mclaren (and Williams for that matter) and for me that is another reason why Ron Dennis should leave the helm.

You bring up the 21 year gap between titles for Ferrari and yet you say its time for Ron Dennis to step down after just 9 years without a title, Should Frank Williams step down as well after all his last title was in 1997
You make it sound like the only reason that Mclaren hasnt won the title is purely Ron Dennis, Its like saying the only reason Ferrari returned to the front of the grid is Micheal Schumacher.
The team as a whole is responsible for the rise and fall of the team, and Ron Dennis is really the public face of Mclaren nowadays more than anything so calling for his head is counterproductive.
Mclaren have been in the thick of or winning the title fights since 98 so they must be doing something right. And lets face it Ferrari won last years title more because of the distractions off the track than the performaces on it

[McLaren Fan]

Funnily enough when i first started relly getting into F1 I would have gone for ferrari, it was their tactics in the Schumacher era that turned me right off.

Here is a question for you Racechick and think of the answer carefully before you answer. What would you do if you are so desparate to win a title after not winning one for 21 years? If I were Ferrari I would of done the same and gave everything to Michael Schumacher to achieve this, especially after having failed for 21 years. I think their tactics regarding Michael Schumacher was justfied in this circumstance. If McLaren doesn't win this year it will be 10 years since their last drivers title. If they continue on just losing I can assure you McLaren will copy the Ferrari/Michael Schumacher tactics of not long ago.

You're absolutely right AKR. 9 years without a title is terrible for a team like Mclaren (and Williams for that matter) and for me that is another reason why Ron Dennis should leave the helm.

You're right that it is far too long for a team like McLaren not to win a title, but I think it's unfair to say that Dennis should retire because of this. The last decade has really been a transition period for the team. The most obvious example was McLaren moving from its old factory to the new Technology Centre. This put the team slightly out of sorts, as it were, for bits and pieces were in storage, the project cost a hell of a lot of money and Dennis invested arguably too much time in it. However, he was investing in the team's future, so I don't think we can too critical of him for that. That, however, was not the only matter, in fact, you could say the others were greater. Adrian Newey was refusing to play ball from the middle of 2000, wanting to leave the team, only being persuaded to stay by Dennis in exchange for a pay rise and being able to design yachts. Newey was not interested in the team, but Dennis decided it was worth having his talents. With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been better to have let him go. With both of these going on, it's no surprise that the aerodynamic and electronics of the cars were average. Mercedes were also going through a bit of transitionary period, being in the process of taking over and rebranding Ilmor. Mario Illien, the brains of the outfit, then disappeared. This no doubt caused some disruption, and goes a long way to explaining why Mercedes'/Ilmor's engines were very poor. Not only that, around the same time, Mercedes were increasing their stake in McLaren.

In the last couple of years, the team has got most of that behind it. The Technology Centre is finished and fully operational, Mercedes have got their house in order on the engine front and the design team has been free of the whinging Newey. In 2005, the team produced a fast, albeit unreliable car. In 2006, a sudden U-turn from the FIA on changing tyres rendered the car slower than it would have been. In 2007, the team produced a fast and reliable car, and would have won one or both titles had the spy scandal not have happened. And this season, the car is reliable, was the second-best car out of the box and is now more or less on a par with the Ferrari. Basically, the team has gradually started to find its feet again. After this season, when dust of the spy scandal has settled (the fine and development moratorium), McLaren can have no excuses. I am expecting success.

[juggles]

The Hamiltons are only loyal to themselves. They showed this before when they spat on all that McLaren had done for them by talking with Williams a couple of years ago. If McLaren don't provide Hamilton with a title in the next couple of years, he will be off elsewhere. Have no doubts about it. If Lewis Hamilton is not happy at some things at McLaren at the moment, tough. What the f*** right has he and his dad to say anything about how a team like McLaren is run anyway? The Hamiltons are so fair up their own arses it is beyond belief. Besides, Lewis Hamilton has no chance of leaving McLaren, unless somebody is willing to pay almost £70 million for him. I know he's a young driver with a lot of potential and sponsors behind him, but no Formula One team will be willing to pay that, especially with some of the other young talent floating about.

When it comes to Hamilton you seem to see what you want to see; i.e. anything that backs up the fact that he's the spawn of the devil. When has he complained? When has he ever said he's not happy with 'the way things are at the moment?' You're putting words into his mouth. After every GP where he does well he thanks the team for their great support. Sometimes he even apologises to the team when he doesn't have a good race, saying he's let them down. How many other drivers in the sport say that when they've had a crash or badly underperformed? Very few.

I'm not exactly sure why you have a ceaseless vendetta against him, but it seems way over the top sometimes.

As for Lewis going to Ferrari, why would he? He's already at one of the top teams in the sport, and they will probably provide him with a championship winning car every year. I see this move as very unlikely even in the long term. He's been at McLaren since the very start of his motor racing days, and I'm sure that's the team he'll want to end his career with. Any move would be down the F1 ladder if he loses his raw pace later in his career, not to Ferrari

[racechick]

The Hamiltons are only loyal to themselves. They showed this before when they spat on all that McLaren had done for them by talking with Williams a couple of years ago. If McLaren don't provide Hamilton with a title in the next couple of years, he will be off elsewhere. Have no doubts about it. If Lewis Hamilton is not happy at some things at McLaren at the moment, tough. What the f*** right has he and his dad to say anything about how a team like McLaren is run anyway? The Hamiltons are so fair up their own arses it is beyond belief. Besides, Lewis Hamilton has no chance of leaving McLaren, unless somebody is willing to pay almost £70 million for him. I know he's a young driver with a lot of potential and sponsors behind him, but no Formula One team will be willing to pay that, especially with some of the other young talent floating about.

When it comes to Hamilton you seem to see what you want to see; i.e. anything that backs up the fact that he's the spawn of the devil. When has he complained? When has he ever said he's not happy with 'the way things are at the moment?' You're putting words into his mouth. After every GP where he does well he thanks the team for their great support. Sometimes he even apologises to the team when he doesn't have a good race, saying he's let them down. How many other drivers in the sport say that when they've had a crash or badly underperformed? Very few.

I'm not exactly sure why you have a ceaseless vendetta against him, but it seems way over the top sometimes.

As for Lewis going to Ferrari, why would he? He's already at one of the top teams in the sport, and they will probably provide him with a championship winning car every year. I see this move as very unlikely even in the long term. He's been at McLaren since the very start of his motor racing days, and I'm sure that's the team he'll want to end his career with. Any move would be down the F1 ladder if he loses his raw pace later in his career, not to Ferrari

I agree with much of what you say here. I find this endless vendetta difficult to understand and somewhat tiresome.

[McLaren Fan]

When it comes to Hamilton you seem to see what you want to see; i.e. anything that backs up the fact that he's the spawn of the devil. When has he complained? When has he ever said he's not happy with 'the way things are at the moment?' You're putting words into his mouth. After every GP where he does well he thanks the team for their great support. Sometimes he even apologises to the team when he doesn't have a good race, saying he's let them down. How many other drivers in the sport say that when they've had a crash or badly underperformed? Very few.

I'm not exactly sure why you have a ceaseless vendetta against him, but it seems way over the top sometimes.

As for Lewis going to Ferrari, why would he? He's already at one of the top teams in the sport, and they will probably provide him with a championship winning car every year. I see this move as very unlikely even in the long term. He's been at McLaren since the very start of his motor racing days, and I'm sure that's the team he'll want to end his career with. Any move would be down the F1 ladder if he loses his raw pace later in his career, not to Ferrari

If Hamilton was so loyal to McLaren, would why Lewis Hamilton and his control-freak father be secretly trying to negotiate a move to another team? I don't mind other drivers looking after their own interests, but Lewis' case is very different. McLaren, particularly Ron Dennis, took on Lewis when his father could barely support his racing. McLaren and Dennis have had Lewis' best interests at heart and have done a hell of a lot for him, so I think the Hamiltons at least owe McLaren and Dennis the luxury of telling them they are not happy about waiting so long to get a Formula One drive.

Another thing I don't like about Lewis is his arrogance; some of his comments are completely outrageous. His hypocrisy is rank, too. Take Jenson Button's challenge to him. The challenge was rejected lest Lewis injure himself and not be able to compete in the championship. That would be fair enough - if Lewis wasn't doing God knows how many extracurricular activities. Only several days before the said incident, he injured himself in yachting accident!

There are incidents where Lewis has shown he is a decent and humble person. As you rightly say, he does thank the team and apologise from time to time when he gets things wrong (although a couple of times he has wrongly deflected the blame onto the team). Much of Lewis' arrogance and believing the hype surrounding him seems to be coming from his father's continual presence. Anthony Hamilton is doing his son a disservice with his cut-throat, below-the-belt tactics and bumming up his son's achievements. What Lewis needs is an experienced professional, who will give him the honest truth of things and keep his feet on the ground. If Anthony Hamilton is out of the way, perhaps we'll see a better side to Lewis. And, to be honest, I really hope we do. I highly rate Lewis' driving abilities, but his personalty is putting me right off him.

[bud]

as i thought

urther to our previous story, regarding The Times' claim that Anthony Hamilton enjoyed a "secret" talk with Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali in the Hockenheim paddock yesterday, thereby suggesting that the Italian team is hoping to secure the services of Lewis Hamilton, the Italian and Mercedes' Norbert Haug have ridiculed the report.

Domenicali admitted that he was not aware of The Times claim, but when told what the newspaper had suggested, said: "That's fantastic! It's good news!

"I was walking away from Norbert's party because I had other things to do with our sponsor," he continued. "Anthony just came up behind me and just said hello and that's it, very easy. It's nice to see how these things can grow. Everyone has seen it, I think. Easy."

While, Haug added mischievously: "I think that's a great place to start negotiations with our driver: behind the Mercedes grandstand. Of course Stefano would do that! Why would he not meet in a hotel room or wherever? And he's a gentleman, by the way. He's not coming to our function and then talking to our driver. But I think it's great that there is some communication going on next to the race track, and I think that was it."

[deMuRe]

Putting my conspiracy hat on, if the FIA really are true to Ferrari, which would make Max Mosely a friend of Ferrari's, what better way to destabalise your opponent then to cause problems?

Didn't Alonso turn to Max Mosely in his 'time of need' during 2007? Was Max advising Alonso?

McLaren and Hamilton were having a hard time before Silverstone 2008, what better way to de-stabilise McLaren then a few visible conversations with their star driver after such a strong showing in the wet?

I'm sure McLaren still have bad memories over being used as a training ground for Ferrari with Kimi...

[bud]

conspiracy hat eh add WIli Webers comments as well