Lewis Hamilton has declared that being a one time Formula World champion is not part of his master plan and the goal is to become one of the most successful drivers of his generation, with more F1 titles high on his list of priorities.
Interviewed by the Observer, the 2008 F1 World Champion said, “I am not here to race ten years and only win one or two world championships. I want to be one of the most successful F1 drivers of this generation so I do want to win more world championships and I think you have to continue winning and prove yourself time after time for people to really know that you are the best. I can’t say right now that people can say he was clearly the best in the world. I have only been here for four years so I have got a lot more to do.”
After a mega career in the lower ranks, it was no surprise that the 26 year old Briton took the Formula 1 world by storm. In his first F1 season in 2007 he nearly won the world championship, a year later he did so and today he is rated as one of the best drivers currently plying their trade at the pinnacle of motor sport.
McLaren have backed Hamilton since he was a toddler and he is deeply indebted to the team. But, for a racing driver, the reason to exist is to win races and if the team they are with do not deliver race winning machinery then temptation to seek a team that can deliver becomes a necessity.
Despite the hype it is abundantly clear that the McLaren MP4-26, the weapon that Hamilton will use to challenge for the 2011 title, has been a huge disappointment and has done little to inspire either of the team’s drivers.
If it is yet another year of catch-up for the silver cars, then it would be no surprise if Hamilton starts looking beyond the posh lawns of Woking and work offers would not be scarce!
McLaren have not won the constructors title since 1998 and since then only two driver’s titles, in 1999 and 2008. But their greatest strength is the ability to turnaround bad cars into race winners during the course of the season.
However this may not be enough to take on the might of Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes who also have similar capacity but appear to already have pretty good cars to work from in 2011.
Earlier this month after day two of the final 2011 preseason testing at Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton said, “Do I believe I have a car to win the world championship at the moment? I don’t. No.”
Clearly McLaren will have to deliver to keep their star in a McLaren cockpit. His recently appointed manager, Simon Fuller, will no doubt be looking out for the best opportunities and will certainly explore every avenue for his high profile client.
Fuller is adamant, “He [Hamilton] is not only one of the leading sportsmen of his generation, but he will, I believe, become one of the best of all time.”
For now Hamilton is spinning the politically correct PR line, “Look at the history of McLaren. They are an incredible team. I haven’t been to other factories, but McLaren have some of the greatest people I have ever met in the team. The way they treat their drivers is fantastic. It is a great place to go to work and I feel privileged to be part of the team. They are fighters and I am a fighter,” he said.
But the question is: Can the team deliver on their driver’s aspirations to become a Formula 1 legend like those that have driven their cars in the past – Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda? Time will tell…
Source: YallaF1
