BBC claiming Hamilton signs for Mercedes

[Paul Hayes]

Interesting stuff...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19489930

I suppose if it's true, it makes sense - it's pretty much the only option open to him in a top-line team, unless he wants to partner Alonso.

[Londoner]

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of leaving McLaren to drive for Mercedes next season, according to BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan.

Debunked.

[Paul Hayes]

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of leaving McLaren to drive for Mercedes next season, according to BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan.

Debunked.

Well yes, there is that, admittedly...

Still, there's no doubt that Schumacher seems to have few options other than retirement, and Hamilton's relationship with McLaren has seriously deteriorated over the past year or more. (Or in some ways, ever since Button joined the team, oddly).

[Phoenix]

If this turns out to be true, Mercedes better produce a capable machine for next season...

[FullMetalJack]

Interesting stuff...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19489930

I suppose if it's true, it makes sense - it's pretty much the only option open to him in a top-line team, unless he wants to partner Alonso.

Yeah, because Mercedes have really been a top-line team this season.

Interesting if this has happened. Who'll replace Hamilton at McLaren?

[pasta_maldonado]

If this turns out to be true, Mercedes better produce a capable machine for next season...

Otherwise Ramilton will punch Ross Brawn hard in the face. And then leave

[madmark1974]

Just read that myself, and thought I'd pop over here to see if anyone was discussing it yet.

I am very much taking this as "I'll believe it when I see it" - though often Jordan's crazy prophecies to turn out to actually happen - I really can't see it ...

[Paul Hayes]

Top-line in the sense they've had wins, poles and podiums this year!

(Well a win, anyway!)

If Hamilton (or Alonso, or Vettel, or Raikkonen) had been driving for Mercedes, I'm pretty sure they'd have won more races this season.

[FullMetalJack]

Top-line in the sense they've had wins, poles and podiums this year!

(Well a win, anyway!)

If Hamilton (or Alonso, or Vettel, or Raikkonen) had been driving for Mercedes, I'm pretty sure they'd have won more races this season.

Yeah, to be fair they did dominate the Chinese Grand Prix, and were possibly the quickest team around Monaco.

[Londoner]

Their season has gone down the proverbial toilet since Valencia though. Mercedes seem to start a season strong, but fade away by the summer break, something they need to work on.

And to think Rosberg was being touted as a potential championship contender early this season,. My God that feels a long time ago.

[eagleash]

This has now appeared from several sources (though none that would appease Capt. Hammer....but Joe hasn't commented yet ).

Bernie's comments which indicated MSC would be retiring (which he subsequently appeared to retract) make a bit more sense if this were true. "Nothing happens in the paddock without BCE knowing about it"

[Paul Hayes]

Their season has gone down the proverbial toilet since Valencia though. Mercedes seem to start a season strong, but fade away by the summer break, something they need to work on.

And to think Rosberg was being touted as a potential championship contender early this season,. My God that feels a long time ago.

Everyone and his brother looked like being in the title hunt at the start of the season, though!

[Salamander]

Interesting stuff...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19489930

I suppose if it's true, it makes sense - it's pretty much the only option open to him in a top-line team, unless he wants to partner Alonso.

Yeah, because Mercedes have really been a top-line team this season.

Interesting if this has happened. Who'll replace Hamilton at McLaren?

If I were to guess, probably di Resta or Hulkenberg. Though they might try and lure Perez away from Ferrari, though I doubt they'll let him go easily. Really, though, I think they should be targetting Kobayashi if this does happen - he's not tied to a top team, and is more of a complete package than di Resta or Hulkenberg. I can't see it happening though - I wouldn't touch Mercedes with a 10-foot barge pole at the moment. If I was him and McLaren wasn't an option for 2013, I'd try and get in with Lotus or Williams first. Hell, I'd go for Sauber before Mercedes at the moment. They remind me of Toyota, except for the part where they somehow got their shite together and actually won a race.

[mario]

Just read that myself, and thought I'd pop over here to see if anyone was discussing it yet.

I am very much taking this as "I'll believe it when I see it" - though often Jordan's crazy prophecies to turn out to actually happen - I really can't see it ...

So shall I - I would prefer to wait until one or other party confirms the claims, because Hamilton choosing to move to Mercedes would have a major impact on the driver market by opening up a seat at McLaren.

Mind you, it is true that Hamilton's relations with the team are definitely not what they once were, but Mercedes have been steadily falling back down the grid this season and will be lucky not to be beaten by Sauber. Would Hamilton really be prepared to gamble on Mercedes either being able to turn around their fortunes (something that is definitely not assured), or does he believe that he can get a deal with a better team in 2014 and is using Mercedes as a stop gap?
Moreover, it is one thing for Hamilton's management team to be talking to Mercedes and quite another for them to have actually signed anything: we know that Webber, by his own admission, was briefly in talks with Ferrari, but chose to renew his contract with Red Bull even though a number of pundits were expecting him to move across to Ferrari instead. It might be a serious attempt by Hamilton to move to Mercedes - equally, it might be a gambit from his management team to try to squeeze better terms out of McLaren (McLaren have made it clear that their latest salary offers are not going to be as generous as Hamilton's current package).

For now, therefore, I'll take this with a pinch of salt - Eddie Jordan might have pulled off something of a coup if he is right, but I'd rather wait and see how this develops (or not) first.

[IdeFan]

I wouldn't touch Merc with a barge pole, the Brawn championship is looking more and more like a fluke. The team has been consistently mediocre despite having full works backing first from Honda then Mercedes, the only reason for Lewis to go there would be if staying at McLaren was no longer an option, and despite the bitching and the twitter incidents I don't think he's there yet.

Of course things must look different inside Hamilton's head (and more to the point, Eddie Jordan's!)

[Ferrarist]

How about Hamilton pulling himself together and making amends with McLaren? Instead he could go to a team that still don't have their act together, and might actually be on the verge of losing some backing by Mercedes. But hey, he'd still have his Nicole. Right?..

And somewhere in Switzerland, or wherever he's living, Gary Paffett sheds tears, because McLaren goes for an external driver over him once again.

[LellaLombardi]

It sounds to me like Schumi has accepted that he is not going to win a title with Mercedes in however many years more he could have eked out of his comeback - one suspects he is feeling his age.

If Hamilton moves there, he too will have to accept that Mercedes are years away from winning another title. I have often said that he will never be Champion again and this certainly won't help him any.

Others have said that Sauber would be a better move. On the one hand, they have a blummin good car right now. But they definitely won't be able to meet his salary demands, and I also can't see him fitting in there. Sauber have always struck me as the most "team-player" team on the grid, and Peter and Monisha are not the sort to tolerate diva-ish, superstar behaviour. Can you imagine P Diddy hanging round the Sauber pit?!?!??

Williams would be his best move although they probably couldn't pay him enough either. If he could get Williams back to the top again he would earn a lot of respect. I couldn't see him staying at McLaren - it's a combination of Button and Whitmarsh which has deteriorated the relationship.

As for the second McLaren seat, Perez all the way if they can get him out of his pseudo Ferrari contract.

[mario]

I wouldn't touch Merc with a barge pole, the Brawn championship is looking more and more like a fluke. The team has been consistently mediocre despite having full works backing first from Honda then Mercedes, the only reason for Lewis to go there would be if staying at McLaren was no longer an option, and despite the bitching and the twitter incidents I don't think he's there yet.

Of course things must look different inside Hamilton's head (and more to the point, Eddie Jordan's!)

It is also questionable as to whether it is a wise idea to sign up with a team that still hasn't fully committed to the sport - Mercedes are still yet to sign the Concorde Agreement, it seems (it looks like they are the only team who haven't signed up yet), which raises a few question marks over their long term commitment as a chassis manufacturer.

Anyway, what has generally been the case is that the team have started out with a reasonably competitive car but, as time has gone on, they have never been able to keep up with the development rate of their rivals. Much like this year, in 2010 and 2011, Mercedes had cars that were moderately competitive at the start of the season (albeit still some way off being race winners), but as time went on they gradually drifted further and further away from the leaders - something that looks like a systematic failing of the team itself.

Now, it is true that the Mercedes team is being run on a fairly tight budget - probably tighter than the top three teams - but the Lotus team are probably operating with similar resources and have been much more competitive this year. Equally, the team does have a number of talented individuals within it - Bob Bell, Ross Brawn, Aldo Costa - the senior management are all veterans of the sport and have had their fair share of success along the way, whilst the design team themselves do still seem to be fairly inventive in their own right (the roll hoop blade used in earlier years or the DDRS system they are using this year).

Yet, despite having the ingredients of a strong team, time and again it just doesn't seem to be working out - and you have to wonder whether they will ever sort that out. OK, McLaren might be facing a bit of a financial squeeze in the future given that Mercedes will no longer be subsidising their engine supplies, but I'd rather stay at a team that has proven to be, over the long term, a much more competitive prospect than the current Mercedes team has and is likely to be.

As I've said before, though, we will have to wait and see how this turns out - the relationship between Hamilton and McLaren might have been rocky as of late, but at the same time it is unclear whether things have broken down enough for Hamilton to want to leave or for McLaren to replace him. Andrew Benson, meanwhile, is reporting via Twitter that Hamilton's management are already moving to counter Eddie Jordan's claims - they have said that they are "in advanced talks with McLaren about a new deal", so Eddie's claims may yet prove to be wide of the mark.

[Enforcer]

If true, I can't say it's exactly surprising that he's leaving McLaren, given that he's done nothing but complain for 3 years. Not sure about the Mercedes attraction for him though. I can understand him wanting a car that he can mount a title challenge in, he wouldn't be the first driver to move because of that. And he won't be the last. But however you look at it, it's a step down. Now maybe Mercedes will come up with a cracking car next season, but you have to assume McLaren have at least an equal, if not greater chance of doing likewise. I'm guessing one of:

1) He's decided he can no longer work with McLaren
2) McLaren have decided they can't work with him
3) Both 1 & 2
4) Difference in opinion in terms of the size of his paycheque

I'm hard pressed to think it's because he thinks he has a better chance of winning the WDC at Merc than at McLaren. I wonder did he sound out Lotus?


Anyhow, good outcome from this: Hamilton goes to Mercedes. Is outperformed by Rosberg.

Better outcome from this: Hamilton goes to Mercedes. Is outperformed by Schumacher because Rosberg's gone the other way to McLaren.

[FullMetalJack]

Maybe another man who was formerly at Ferrari can take the empty McLaren seat. A man who after spending a decade as Ferrari tester got only 2 races in one of their worst cars to show for it.

I'm talking of course about

LUCA BADOER

I'm not saying it will happen, but please let it be so.

[DemocalypseNow]

Or why not make sure a veteran presence remains in F1? Someone even older than Schumacher perhaps?



Yes please.

[FullMetalJack]

Or why not make sure a veteran presence remains in F1? Someone even older than Schumacher perhaps?



Yes please.

YES!

I wonder how he'd work with Button though, considering Button replaced him at Williams.

[shinji]

Or why not make sure a veteran presence remains in F1? Someone even older than Schumacher perhaps?



Yes please.

YES!

I wonder how he'd work with Button though, considering Button replaced him at Williams.

Doesn't really seem like the type to bear a grudge.

[Eryx]

Well if this is true ...who will fill his seat. . .lets look at plausable contenders...

Luca Badoer - Retired. . .doubtful even though it would be great.
Heidfeld - Well it is possible nick has said he wants to comeback but i doubt recent performances are on his side.
Sutil - VERY plausable despite his shanghai incident theres no denying he is a good driver very reliable and capable id say hes a real possibility.
Petrov - a good driver all around could make the move...just saying.
Di Resta and Hulkenberg - both capable.
Barrichello - You never know could come back for his final seasons.
De la rosa - could be bought out from HRT more then proven his worth in Mclaren races.However this wouldnt be long term obviously..
Sakon Yamamoto - Nah im kidding.
Alguersarus or di grassi - pirelli tyre testing can definitly help

[DemocalypseNow]

Heidfeld - Well it is possible nick has said he wants to comeback but i doubt recent performances are on his side.

Former West Competition driver finally getting promoted from the junior squad to senior McLaren team with 14 years inbetween...would be surprising to say the least.

This also reminds me how quickly down the toilet F3000 went in the early 2000s. Mario Haberfeld went from frequently DNQing for the championship winning team in 1999 to scoring two podiums and finishing 7th in the championship in 2002. I think this is a very good reason NOT to hire Liuzzi for anything, ever.

[Ataxia]

Think how awesome a Button-Kobayashi combo at McLaren would be.

[Nessafox]

Heidfeld - Well it is possible nick has said he wants to comeback but i doubt recent performances are on his side.

Former West Competition driver finally getting promoted from the junior squad to senior McLaren team with 14 years inbetween...would be surprising to say the least.

This also reminds me how quickly down the toilet F3000 went in the early 2000s. Mario Haberfeld went from frequently DNQing for the championship winning team in 1999 to scoring two podiums and finishing 7th in the championship in 2002. I think this is a very good reason NOT to hire Liuzzi for anything, ever.

1999 was an epic F3000 year, full of not-even-good-enough-to-be-called-rejects.

[Aerospeed]

Hamilton has got to be an insane fool to sign for Mercedes, they can't build a car even if they were given infinite money.

[Klon]

This could explain, however, where Jaime Alguersuari takes his confidence of having signed with a top team. Perhaps this story has a deeper connection to the truth than one might think.

[Shizuka]

If Alguersuari takes the McLaren seat, I say he's going to be at least on an equal level with Button. Add his Pirelli knowledge in the mix that'll help McLaren. In the end, they might very well be fighting for the WCC next year with a good car.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

And somewhere in Switzerland, or wherever he's living, Gary Paffett sheds tears, because McLaren goes for an external driver over him once again.

From what I have read, Paffet was consistently at least 1 second off the pace of his teammates in identical equipment.

[Ferrarist]

And somewhere in Switzerland, or wherever he's living, Gary Paffett sheds tears, because McLaren goes for an external driver over him once again.

From what I have read, Paffet was consistently at least 1 second off the pace of his teammates in identical equipment.

In DTM? Definitely not, as he's the best Mercedes driver in the points standings. Although it's pretty funny when we hear another round of his whining in team radio, mostly if some dares to defend his position against him ("He's bathplugging blocking me!") or someone dares to pass him, even (or especially) if it's a team mate (As seen at this year's Zandvoort race, when Jamie Green passed him).

But if he's constantly slower than Hamilton and Button (and Turvey?) in a McLaren, then Paffett might qualify himself for the "Coppa di Luca Badoer".

[RonDenisDeletraz]

And somewhere in Switzerland, or wherever he's living, Gary Paffett sheds tears, because McLaren goes for an external driver over him once again.

From what I have read, Paffet was consistently at least 1 second off the pace of his teammates in identical equipment.

In DTM? Definitely not, as he's the best Mercedes driver in the points standings. Although it's pretty funny when we hear another round of his whining in team radio, mostly if some dares to defend his position against him ("He's bathplugging blocking me!") or someone dares to pass him, even (or especially) if it's a team mate (As seen at this year's Zandvoort race, when Jamie Green passed him).

But if he's constantly slower than Hamilton and Button (and Turvey?) in a McLaren, then Paffett might qualify himself for the "Coppa di Luca Badoer".

I was referring to the F1 tests he's done, he is really not suited to open wheel racing. Speed in DTM doesn't equal speed in F1.

[FullMetalJack]

Hamilton has got to be an insane fool to sign for Mercedes, they can't build a car even if they were given infinite money.

Monaco 2011 confirmed he is an insane fool.

[girry]

Speed in Tests doesn't equal speed in actual racing ... you know.

[AdrianSutil]

Speed in Tests doesn't equal speed in actual racing ... you know.

But that's how potential bosses judge you. If your consistently slower in tests, why would anyone hire that person.

[Ferrim]

Hamilton has got to be an insane fool to sign for Mercedes, they can't build a car even if they were given infinite money.

Monaco 2011 confirmed he is an insane fool.

It's because he's black??

[FullMetalJack]

Hamilton has got to be an insane fool to sign for Mercedes, they can't build a car even if they were given infinite money.

Monaco 2011 confirmed he is an insane fool.

It's because he's black??

No, but playing the race card really lowered my opinion of him, not that he was one of my favourite drivers in the first place.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Speed in Tests doesn't equal speed in actual racing ... you know.

But that's how potential bosses judge you. If your consistently slower in tests, why would anyone hire that person.

Therefore Paffet should stick to DTM and give up on any hope of ever having a F1 career.

[Captain Hammer]

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of leaving McLaren to drive for Mercedes next season, according to BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan.

Debunked.

Don't forget - Eddie predicted Michael Schumacher's comeback.