Goodbye McLaren, hello Mercedes!
Controlled Aggression … Nothing sums up Lewis Hamilton more than his aggressive driving style. This is what sets him apart in the racing world and his 55 overtaking of the season says it all. Who would have thought that a 10-year-old queuing for the autograph of Ron Dennis, McLaren CEO and former F1 team manager, would one day be offered a Formula One contract 12 years later? From a simple radio-controlled car to go-karting on the local circuit, this racer boy simply sped off to chase his dreams.
Despite being connected with the McLaren team since he was 13 years old, signing with the Young Drivers Support Program, Hamilton has decided to part ways and sign a three-year contract with Mercedes, replacing the great Michael Schumacher. Yes, it appears that the 27-year-old has made an illogical move, a move that even experts and analysts say is pure madness.
Clearly, it was a no-brainer for us spectators to have noticed that something was not right while standing on the podium after winning at Monza. For those of you on the trail, McLaren really hasn’t cared for its star driver in the cases where it mattered most. Like in Bahrain, where he was delayed twice in the pits by a guy who couldn’t get the wheel nuts back on. Or in Spain, where he placed last on the grid after not having his fuel tank filled during the heats. And who can forget that the crew dropped the jack before the front wheels were screwed back in Valencia?
McLaren was even reported to have offered him a third less than his previous contract to sign an extension agreement to stay with them. It seems to me that Hamilton was clearly upset and had enough. But Mercedes isn’t exactly a better team, either. In fact, the odds of winning another championship are much higher if he stays with McLaren, as he will surely not be able to join any of the three remaining teams, Red Bull or Ferrari.
What’s done is done and, as a result, McLaren will become a slightly inferior team, while Mercedes will surely have the fastest driver. If Lewis Hamilton wants to be immortalized, he has to make sure he gets the fastest car to become as aggressive as him. If Lewis knows something we don’t know and Mercedes is planning a big surprise for us next season or is just looking for a place to start over, we will have to wait until March to find the answers.