New car and team-mate lift the gloom and give Hamilton renewed drive
AMIR KHAN is a step closer to landing a title fight with Manny Pacquiao after both boxers confirmed they are in talks over a WBO welterweight clash this year. Pacquiao tweeted: “My team are in negotiations with Amir. Further announcement soon.” Khan said of the fight, which could take place in his home town of Bolton: “Negotiating with Manny. Coming soon.
Watch this space!”
THERE was no tension in the air, just optimism today as Lewis Hamilton prepared to get behind the wheel of the car for the first time that could propel him to a fourth world championship.
Hamilton finished last season under a cloud after a controversial final grand prix in Abu Dhabi, where he attempted to derail Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg’s world championship. The German won the title and promptly retired, but Hamilton was left to clean up the shattered fragments of his relationship with his bosses.
A face-to-face meeting at the home of Toto Wolff, the Mercedes director of motorsport, cleared the air and Hamilton arrived in Silverstone for the official launch of thehe Mer-Mercedes WO8 car tt hh ii ss morning signalliingng that he was ready to restore his positionn as Formula One’ss No1 driver.
“I’m feeling in a positive place with the team,” he said. “We talked about a lot of stuff over the winter. I was able to get some things off my chest and now we are commu-communicating better thann ever and continu-continuing to grow together.”er.”
The payback coulduld be for Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton’ss new team-mate.
Wolff admits thatat Rosberg’s depar-departure was a “curvee ball” that created severe difficulties for the team, while insiders say that thee German’sGerman’s technical ability will be sorely missed. But Bottas may benefit from a more mellow Hamilton, who has spent his winter training hard to cope with the new generation of bigger, fatter and faster F1 cars that will be on the track this season.
“I’m the best equipped I have ever been to work with my team-mate and manage the relationship with my experience and maturity,” said Hamilton (below). “I welcome Valtteri to the team and I know that the team will be giving us both everything they can to win the championship.”
Today’s launch is part of F1’s phoney war, the pre-season build-up that produces predictions that could be blown apart when cars take to the track in anger for the first time in Australia next month. Formal testing starts in Barcelona next week when the form book will start to take shape. Renault and Force IndIndia have already shown their contendercontenders, while Ferrari and McLaren will show off their cars tomorrow.
But Hamilton,Ham the sport’s only true superstarsuperstar, will remain the focus of attention. He ended last season bruised and fractious,fract blaming anyone and everyone for a spell of bad luck that almost cecertainly cost him a British re c o rd fourth championship. AlthAlthough new regulations have ushushered in a new generation of cacars, few are betting that Mercedes have lost their edge.
The chances are high that tthey have come up with ananother winner, given that devdevelopment on the 2017 car starstarted before the first race of the 2016 season. Designers are alreadalready working on the car that will rurun at the British Grand Prix in July, suchsu is the speed of developmentment in the sport.