Sam Michael thinks McLaren will move on quickly after Lewis Hamilton’s departure – Formula 1 news
McLaren sporting director Sam Michael has said that they will move on quickly after the departure of their driver, Lewis Hamilton who is going to join Mercedes in the 2013 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton will leave the Woking based team at the end of this year and has signed a new contract with the Brackley based team for the next season.
The British driver has been with McLaren in F1 for the last six seasons and has enjoyed great success with his home team. He won the 2008 world drivers’ championship with the British squad and has delivered some memorable performances with them until now.
Although, McLaren has signed an agreement with Sergio Perez who has been considered as one of the most talented youngsters in the sport, but they don’t have much confidence in the abilities of the Mexican driver as he lacks experience.
Michael has said that they are not feeling upset with Hamilton leaving their team and are positively looking forward to come up stronger in the next year. Furthermore, he said that such changes often occurs in the teams, therefore, they are just planning
to move on and are focussing to perform well in the future.
“Of course it's a loss to McLaren but just like if anybody leaves, whether it's a driver - there have been some very big, famous names leave McLaren before in terms of drivers - and you don't dwell on it,” Michael told James Allen on F1. “You move on quickly
because Formula One's all about change management.”
Besides, he said that they have achieved a lot with the 27-year-old and will always cherish the moments which they have spent together. He also said that they wish Hamilton all the best for his future.
“Lewis has been associated with McLaren for 17 years, and he's been contracted for the last 13 plus - that's a long time with one place and I think it simply comes down to that,” he added.
Additionally, he said that they are hoping to attain competitive results right from the start of the next season for which they have to make essential developments during the winter testing.
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