Interview

Formula 1

Hamilton insists leaving McLaren 'no risk'

GMM

Edited: Oct 14, 2012, 6:28 AM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes

Oct.14 (GMM) Leaving McLaren is not a 'risk' because the British team he grew up with has not been that successful in recent years, Lewis Hamilton has told the Spanish sports daily AS.

"There is no risk," the McLaren protege told the newspaper, when asked about his impending move for 2013 to Mercedes.

Both Jenson and Fernando were great teammates, very competitive.

Lewis Hamilton

"At McLaren we haven't won the championship since 2008 and I haven't won too many races recently," he insisted.

"Every team has its ups and downs, but 2014 will be a pivotal year with the rule changes."

In the end, Hamilton's move might be seen as inevitable.

British newspapers are reporting that McLaren's relationship with Jenson Button is much closer, while the drivers themselves appear also to have fallen out.

Asked which former teammate he respected the most - Button or Fernando Alonso - Hamilton answered: "Um ... it would be politically incorrect to answer that question.

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren

Photo by: xpb.cc

"Both Jenson and Fernando were great teammates, very competitive.

"Fernando is a two-time world champion and when I got to Formula One it was a privilege to be with him."

Asked if he learned more from Alonso than he has from Button, Hamilton admitted: "Sure, because he was my teammate in my first season, so I noticed his telemetry, his way of driving. I learned a lot from him, yes."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Jordan tips Force India lineup to change

Next article Hamilton admits Ferrari talks

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once

Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

1 h

Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are

Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

6 h

Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale

Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

6 h

Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale

Feature

Discover prime content

How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once

How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts