Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that Lewis Hamilton may already be regretting his move to Mercedes for 2013.
McLaren's boss said he still does not "fully understand" why Hamilton made the switch, and thinks Lewis may be regretting it just months after signing the contract.
He told the Formula 1 website "It is always bad to make a decision in the aftermath of a bad race. He was pretty sure he was going to win that race and it (the retirement) was a disappointment.
"I respect his decision, but I believe he would be better off with us; we are the stronger team and we intend to beat him next year. You have to justify your decision. He is not going to say 'Hey, they offered me more money'. He is also not going to say he's made an awful mistake. I hope he thinks today he's made an awful mistake and I hope he thinks that next year.
"He's made that decision and he has to live with that decision. Right now we still want to win races. We are motivated by that and
our conversation circles around that. Maybe he is completely
dispassionate about it, but my guess is we both will have very emotional
moments in Brazil.
"I have known him since he was 11 and worked with him since his teens and I know we will both be very emotional after Brazil. We have had one or two emotional moments since the decision was taken and I believe, but you must ask him, that we have a very good relationship."
He appreciates that Hamilton wanted to "flee the nest" and have a new challenge, but asked on whether he thinks Lewis already regrets the move, Whitmarsh replied "I think he has on occasions, yes. Probably, when you make a decision you have to tell yourself that the decision is made so you have to look forward. You say okay, that it is in the past so you don't spend too much time thinking about why. You just look forward and make the best out of the new situation."
Hamilton moved to Mercedes in a £45million 3 year deal. It was announced the week after the Singapore Grand Prix.
What do you think? Should he be regretting it?
Personally, I think it is beneficial for Hamilton to have a fresh start and challenge, but for 2013 I do not see Mercedes moving forward. I think he had his eye on the long term, with the new engine regulations for 2014. Whether he regrets it now is purely on how he thinks the 2013 car will be and whether he feels Mercedes can move forward with him.
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| (c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes |
He told the Formula 1 website "It is always bad to make a decision in the aftermath of a bad race. He was pretty sure he was going to win that race and it (the retirement) was a disappointment.
"I respect his decision, but I believe he would be better off with us; we are the stronger team and we intend to beat him next year. You have to justify your decision. He is not going to say 'Hey, they offered me more money'. He is also not going to say he's made an awful mistake. I hope he thinks today he's made an awful mistake and I hope he thinks that next year.
"I have known him since he was 11 and worked with him since his teens and I know we will both be very emotional after Brazil. We have had one or two emotional moments since the decision was taken and I believe, but you must ask him, that we have a very good relationship."
He appreciates that Hamilton wanted to "flee the nest" and have a new challenge, but asked on whether he thinks Lewis already regrets the move, Whitmarsh replied "I think he has on occasions, yes. Probably, when you make a decision you have to tell yourself that the decision is made so you have to look forward. You say okay, that it is in the past so you don't spend too much time thinking about why. You just look forward and make the best out of the new situation."
Hamilton moved to Mercedes in a £45million 3 year deal. It was announced the week after the Singapore Grand Prix.
What do you think? Should he be regretting it?
Personally, I think it is beneficial for Hamilton to have a fresh start and challenge, but for 2013 I do not see Mercedes moving forward. I think he had his eye on the long term, with the new engine regulations for 2014. Whether he regrets it now is purely on how he thinks the 2013 car will be and whether he feels Mercedes can move forward with him.
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