F1: Hamilton Expected To Be Confirmed By Mercedes Race Team

Formula 1

F1: Hamilton Expected To Be Confirmed By Mercedes Race Team

British newspapers report that the F1 star will be added to the Anglo-German team on Friday, with no word on Schumacher’s future.

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 27, 2012 London (GB)

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton reportedly will move to Mercedes on Friday. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

British newspapers the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph are both reporting tonight that Lewis Hamilton will be confirmed tomorrow as a Mercedes driver from 2013.

In conjunction with that will come news of Michael Schumacher leaving the Anglo-German team – but whether that is for a final retirement or a swansong elsewhere remains to be seen.

The move will reunite Hamilton with his former karting team mate and F3 rival Nico Rosberg.

The Daily Mail says that he will have a deal worth £15m ($2.43 million) a year, with bonuses on top. And as has been widely discussed, he will have more freedom to earn from personal sponsorship deals.

While many have been sceptical in recent weeks, a move to Mercedes always seemed like a worthwhile choice for Hamilton – if a little risky.

Although the team’s results this year have been disappointing since the win in China, the potential of the outfit remains huge. Under Ross Brawn’s guidance, the stellar technical team of Bob Bell, Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis came together too late to have a proper impact in this season, but it should pay dividends next year, and especially as F1 makes the transition to the turbo era in 2014. Hamilton is undoubtedly convinced that, working with Brawn, he can make the difference.

For Mercedes hiring Hamilton is a massive PR coup and also relieves the pressure on the team from the Stuttgart board, who now have one of the very best drivers on the grid and some good motivation to sign the new Concorde and stay in the sport.

As noted, it's not entirely clear whether Schumacher's second retirement will be confirmed. If it is, the question will be whether he jumped or was pushed. He recently attended the young driver test at Magny-Cours, which was not the action of someone coasting towards retirement.

However, his Singapore crash, which received widespread criticism, could not have been more poorly timed.

Schumacher is believed to have a contract that pays him a huge sum to stay on in an ambassadorial role should he stop driving, but he didn’t enjoy a similar experience with Ferrari, and he could yet be hungry for more.

McLaren is now looking for a replacement, with Sergio Perez and Force India drivers Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg among the obvious candidates. A seven-times World Champion is also available...