LEWIS TO STAY PUT
‘No other team takes care of its drivers like Mercedes’
LEWIS HAMILTON plans to see out the rest of his Formula One career with Mercedes.
Hamilton’s current deal with the German team expires at the end of next season and there have been suggestions he could seek a new challenge.
Another F1 paddock rumour has hinted at Hamilton’s arch-rival Sebastian Vettel switching from Ferrari to Mercedes when his deal ends at the end of the season.
But despite reiterating his admiration for Ferrari, Hamilton revealed he cannot see any reason to rip up a winning formula.
He said: “There’s no other team in the whole sport that takes care of its drivers like Mercedes.
“So to turn your back and leave that behind, that is a really difficult call to make. If I was to jump ship from here, that would be when I stop.
“I am so happy where I am. If I was to move, I would have to try and take what we have here and try to implement it somewhere else.
“But do I really want to do that? There’s no real need. Of course I look at other teams that I have admired. I look at Williams and look at how cool it would be to one day drive for them and help them get back to the top.
“But I don’t have a crystal ball, I don’t know how long that will take or even if that’s even possible.
“There’s no other team, except for Ferrari, that could ever be interesting.
Heaven
“But right now I love being here, I love the people I work for, the people I work with and what the company represents.”
Hamilton and Mercedes have certainly been a match made in heaven, the British racer having won two of his three world titles with them since moving from McLaren in 2013.
But Ferrari have upped their game this season, with Vettel leading Hamilton in the drivers’ championship by just one point. And Red Bull look like being a serious threat to Hamilton’s plans to sign off for the summer break with a sixth Hungarian Grand Prix win tomorrow.
Daniel Ricciardo was fastest in both practice sessions yesterday, with Hamilton down in fifth in the afternoon.
And the Australian was delighted with upgrades his Red Bull team have brought to their car.
“We brought some updates here and they seem to be working,” he said. “I do feel we have stepped in the right direction.
“If we can extract every bit out of the car, we may have a shot at actually fighting for big points this weekend.”
Despite his difficulties, Hamilton still fancies his chances of matching Michael Schumacher’s record haul of 68 pole positions in qualifying today, adding: “I believe the pace is in there. We just need to unlock it ahead of qualifying.”