Hamilton sees rivalry with Vettel hotting up

Lewis Hamilton expects his Formula One rivalry with Sebastian Vettel to become even more intense this season and says he is prepared for anything the Ferrari driver throws at him.

The battle between the two four-times world champions promises to be the storyline of the season starting in Australia on March 25.

Hamilton came out on top last year, a season that started out in mutual respect before tipping into ‘road rage’ and recrimination when they collided and banged wheels in Azerbaijan.

“You would have to expect that it could be worse,” Hamilton told reporters when asked, at the launch of his Mercedes team’s new F1 W09 car at Silverstone on Thursday, about the tension between the two.

“Always expect the worst and hopefully it will be better.”

The Briton said the campaign was likely to be closer than ever but he would also be even better.

“Hopefully if I am performing at my best, then there will be issues -- because they (Ferrari) will be upset about it,” he added.

Asked about potential ‘mind games’, Hamilton smiled.

“Honestly, I don’t play mind games,” he said. “I just drive faster.”

The Briton spoke of his hunger, even if he still has some weight to lose before the first race, and commitment as well as the joys of his longest break in a decade.

Since November, the 33-year-old has been surfing in California and snowboarding in Japan as well as hanging out with friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic.

He enthused about the time spent chasing waves with 11-times world surf league champion Kelly Slater, an experience that was also painful.

“I go for the biggest waves and I get barrelled over,” he grinned.

Hamilton has also kept a lower profile on social media, wiping his Twitter and Instagram accounts in late December after attracting criticism for comments about his young nephew wearing a pink dress.

He said the “clean slate” was planned and he would aim to strike a balance in future.

“I have been very open with my life for several years and it is always difficult to make a change because I have always been open,” he added.

”But we are in a strange time in the world where things are magnified a lot more than they were in previous years. It is a critical time for the world.

“Social media is still the gateway to connect to fans, so it will be a part of my life. As to how deep I will go, we will see.”

source: news agency

McLaren watching Hamilton's moves with interest

Lewis Hamilton’s former team McLaren are watching his contract situation with interest, even if the four times Formula One world champion and Mercedes have said they want to stay together.

The 33-year-old Briton has a season left to run on his current contract but is expected to sign a new multi-year agreement with the team that has won both championships for the past four years.

Nothing appears to have been signed yet, however, allowing rivals to indulge in what may be little more than flights of fantasy.

“I don’t think there’s a team in the pitlane that wouldn’t be interested in having Lewis drive for them, us included,” McLaren’s executive director Zak Brown told reporters when asked about the situation.

“If anyone got Lewis, it would be great for the team. He has a great history here and he is very friendly with the shareholders,” added the American, who joined the Woking-based outfit at the end of 2016.

Hamilton won his first title with McLaren in 2008, a year after his debut, before moving to Mercedes in 2013 and taking three more championships.

The sport’s most high-profile driver, who enjoys a private jet and all the trappings of success, said last November he expected a new contract to be straightforward -- a sentiment echoed by team boss and shareholder Toto Wolff.

“Lewis has become such an important pillar within the team that it’s a no-brainer that we continue with each other,” said the Austrian.

Brown felt any delay in signing was likely to be more down to Hamilton than the team.

”I am going to guess that he’s contemplating how much longer he wants to go,“ he said. ”If you’re Lewis, with what you’ve done with Mercedes and where Mercedes are headed, you’d re-sign with the team.

”He’s talked about when he stops, so that would be my guess. I can’t imagine it’s money or the quality of the team.

”He just might be going ‘let me see how this year goes, what’s the rush? They’re not going to sell the seat from underneath me’. That would be my speculation.

“We might find they actually have signed and are just not telling us.”

The season starts in Australia on March 25.

Ferrari are likely to have a vacancy at the end of the season, with 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen out of contract, and the sport’s oldest and most successful team also have a special allure.

McLaren are the second most successful team but have not won a race since 2012 and finished ninth of 10 teams last year, splitting with Honda and starting a new partnership with Renault.

source: news agency

Hamilton's social silence has the F1 fans talking

BIRMINGHAM: Lewis Hamilton’s social media posts have long been a talking point in Formula One but thHamilton's social silence has the F1 fans talkingattention.

The Mercedes driver ended 2017 by wiping clean his prolific Twitter and Instagram accounts after critics condemned comments he made over Christmas about his young nephew wearing a pink dress.

“Boys don’t wear princess dresses,” the Briton had said, in a video on Instagram that he apologised for and took down the next day.

Hamilton, or his media team, then proceeded to remove reams of content and photographs from his feeds, giving no explanation for what was interpreted by many as an emotional response to the criticism.

New Year’s Day, and the Briton’s 33rd birthday on Jan. 7, came and went without a word.

Hamilton has more of a profile than any other F1 driver, boasting 5.7 million followers on Instagram and 5.26 million on Twitter, who are kept up to speed about his celebrity lifestyle and fashion tastes.

Formula One’s owners Liberty Media, who took over last year, have adopted a “fan first” approach with social media a major plank in their strategy

McLaren executive director Zak Brown said the sport needed Hamilton’s engagement.

“Obviously the amount of feedback looks like it’s upset him, to the point where he’s said well then I won’t do anything,” Brown told Reuters at the Autosport International show on Thursday.

”That’s a shame for all the racing fans who love Lewis and want to know what he’s up to. Hopefully that situation will settle down.

“We want to hear what Lewis is up to and he has the biggest following. So if he pulls off social media, that would be a loss for everyone.”

Mercedes have made no official comment on the reasons for Hamilton’s actions, although a team source said it was “just a bit of hygiene” to wipe the slate clean for a fresh start this season.

An adviser to Hamilton also had no comment, telling the BBC that “taking a break” from social media during the holiday period was not newsworthy.

While the season starts in Australia in March, January is a quiet time in Formula One when engagement on social media helps maintain the sport’s profile.

“I think it’s unfortunate how quickly people jump on him (Hamilton),” said Brown of a driver who won his first title with McLaren in 2008.

“I bet the majority of those people (critics), if they were sitting in front of Lewis, would still want to get his autograph.”


Source: News Agency