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Pressure lifts for upbeat Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

May 10, 2013 - 20:00 | F1

Lewis Hamilton insists he is far happier now he is at Mercedes following his switch from McLaren at the end of last season.

Pressure lifts for upbeat Lewis Hamilton

The former world champion has made an encouraging start to the 2013 season, picking up podium finishes in Malaysia and China, as well as securing fifth spots in Australia and Bahrain.

There was a point where I was driving and crashing – for no reason.

Lewis Hamilton

He is 5/1 to be the fastest qualifier for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix and 12/1 to actually win the race.

Hamilton says he doesn’t feel as though he is under as much pressure at Mercedes compared with McLaren, saying: “I was in a very controlled environment for as long as I can remember and only recently have I come out of that.

“Nothing controls me now. I’ve obviously got a boss in Ross Brawn, but now I make the decisions and I don’t have to report to anyone.

“There was a time when I would make a call and worry about it, that I was wrong, because of the way I was raised to look to my dad. It felt like a lot of pressure and I don’t have that now. I can call my dad and tell him I’ve bought a house or a car and share it with him. It’s a different chemistry.

“There was a point where I was driving and crashing – for no reason. I just wasn’t on the ball. In this job you can’t be thinking of anything else, you need to be focused all the time.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton is 18/1 to win a second world title in 2013, with Mercedes 14/1 to be crowned constructors’ champions.

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Pressure lifts for upbeat Lewis Hamilton

May 8, 2013 - 08:00 | F1

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Lewis Hamilton insists he is far happier now he is at Mercedes following his switch from McLaren at the end of last season.

Pressure lifts for upbeat Lewis Hamilton

The former world champion has made an encouraging start to the 2013 season, picking up podium finishes in Malaysia and China, as well as securing fifth spots in Australia and Bahrain.

There was a point where I was driving and crashing – for no reason.

Lewis Hamilton

He is 5/1 to be the fastest qualifier for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix and 12/1 to actually win the race.

“Nothing controls me now. I’ve obviously got a boss in Ross Brawn, but now I make the decisions and I don’t have to report to anyone.

“There was a point where I was driving and crashing – for no reason. I just wasn’t on the ball. In this job you can’t be thinking of anything else, you need to be focused all the time.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton is 18/1 to win a second world title in 2013, with Mercedes 14/1 to be crowned constructors’ champions.

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Ecstatic Lewis Hamilton claims Shanghai pole

April 13, 2013 - 13:34 | F1

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Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position for Mercedes after setting the fastest time in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, while team-mate Nico Rosberg was fourth quickest.

Ecstatic Lewis Hamilton claims Shanghai pole

Former McLaren driver Hamilton was nearly 0.3 seconds quicker than the second fastest qualifier, Kimi Raikkonen, while two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will start from third on the grid in his Ferrari.

Rosberg edged ahead of fifth-placed Felipe Massa but it was a bad day for Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel was only ninth fastest while team-mate Mark Webber failed to make the top-ten after apparently running out of fuel in second qualifying.

It’s an incredible feeling. I’m so happy to have our first pole for some time. I’m just ecstatic really.

Lewis Hamilton

The Australian will be sent to the back of the grid unless his car has enough fuel in it to provide a one-litre sample as well as being able to get back to the pits from where it stopped.

Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was sixth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in his Toro Rosso and McLaren’s Jenson Button. Nico Hulkenberg failed to set a time in the final session.

Hamilton is 2/1 to win Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, while Vettel can be backed at 11/2 and Webber at 50/1. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is 8/1 to clinch this year’s drivers’ title.

Hamilton said of his pole position: “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m so happy to have our first pole for some time. I’m just ecstatic really.

“The lap was great. The team has performed well all weekend so far. I hope we can carry it into tomorrow. It’s really surprising, in P3 the Ferraris were very quick but we had really good pace in Q1 and Q2 but that last lap is really tough to get.

“We left it down to the last three minutes so you’ve got to get perfect out lap and the perfect lap. I really can’t complain about that lap.”

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Jenson Button forecasts McLaren upturn

April 4, 2013 - 13:00 | F1

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Jenson Button still believes he can win his second drivers’ title this year even though he has struggled in the first two races of the 2013 season.

The 33-year-old McLaren driver, who won the world title with Brawn GP in 2009, came ninth at the Australian Grand Prix before finishing 17th in Malaysia.

The great thing is there are so many cars that are competitive and taking points off each other, which is exactly what we need.

Jenson Button

As a result Button has just two points from the first two rounds – 38 less than championship leader Sebastian Vettel – but the Englishman remains upbeat about the season ahead, starting with the Chinese Grand Prix later this month which he is 22/1 to win.

Button, 33/1 to win the 2013 drivers’ title, said: “The championship is still on as far as I’m concerned and I’m aiming for that. Definitely.

“Sebastian Vettel almost beat me to the title in 2009 and he didn’t score for the first four races. It’s a massive turnaround for us. Most of the race in Sepang we were quicker than the Lotus. Most of the race we were quicker than Ferrari. Who would have thought that five days before?

“We are still not where we want to be and we got a bit lucky with the circuit being so smooth which helped a bit, but a lot is understanding where the downforce is.

“The car is still not perfected, it was really thrown together for Sepang. The great thing is there are so many cars that are competitive and taking points off each other, which is exactly what we need.”

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Formula 1- Raikkonen seeks back-to-back wins

March 22, 2013 - 08:23 | F1

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Kimi Raikkonen hopes Lotus can build on their Formula 1 victory in Melbourne by impressing again in the hot and humid conditions at the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

Formula 1- Raikkonen seeks back-to-back wins

Kimi Raikkonen only won one race in 2012.

The Finn is 11/4 to make it two victories in a row on Sunday and is 9/2 to be the fastest qualifier for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Last year Lotus performed best when the conditions were hot, but Raikkonen is adamant that the team will not be making any changes to their usual race weekend routine.

He said: “There’s no target or anything, we don’t do any different things this weekend than we did in any previous race or last year.

“If people think we are the kind of leaders it makes no difference to our work, what we did or what we’re going to do this weekend or any other weekend. We just try to do our best and hopefully can score some good points.

“Last year we were pretty good when it was hot and actually it was better for us but obviously we haven’t run in these kind of conditions and the winter has been very cold so I have no idea. If it’s anything like it was last year it should be pretty OK but we have to wait and see how it goes.”

Raikkonen, 4/1 to win the 2013 drivers’ title, finished third in last year’s championship despite only emerging triumphant in one race – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old, who won the drivers’ title when with Ferrari in 2007, did also enjoy a podium finish on six other occasions in 2012 though.

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F1 – Hamilton upbeat after Mercedes visit

January 22, 2013 - 19:37 | F1

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Lewis Hamilton believes he can help Mercedes challenge for F1 honours next season after visiting the team’s bases in Brackley and Stuttgart.

F1 - Hamilton upbeat after Mercedes visit

The 2008 world champion left McLaren for Mercedes at the end of the previous campaign but his chances of securing the Drivers’ Championship title in 2013 have been questioned by some pundits, as his new team struggled for points towards the end of the 2012 season.

However, the 28-year-old is optimistic Mercedes can challenge the likes of Ferrari, Red Bull and his former employers following his trips to the Mercedes bases, although he admits there is still plenty of work ahead for his new team.

“I live to win,” he said in a Mercedes video. “That’s what I work towards every year so that’s what we’re going to work towards this year. Of course it’s going to be tough to beat the guys who are already at the front – the Red Bulls, the McLarens, the Ferraris – but I don’t think it’s impossible.”

He added: “I went to Brackley back in the early part of December, asking lots of questions, trying to get as much involved as I can in the limited time I was there. It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone was. It looked like there was incredible determination to turn this thing around and that gave me a lot of motivation for my winter.”

Hamilton, who is 14/1 to secure the drivers’ title, believes the 2013 campaign will be a learning curve for him and has confidence he can help Mercedes move forward.

“I think this year’s going to be an interesting year, an interesting journey,” he said of the season ahead. “Learning and getting to know new people is always a massive challenge and that’s first and foremost one of the biggest challenges I have. After that it’s trying to succeed with them and extract the most out of them. But I think it’s going to be a journey that we enjoy.”

Hamilton will be partnered by Nico Rosberg in 2013 and Rosberg can be backed at 50/1 to secure Drivers’ Championship glory, while McLaren star Jenson Button is 8/1 to emerge victorious.

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Lewis Hamilton dismisses ‘rubbish’ speculation

September 18, 2012 - 07:14 | F1

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McLaren star Lewis Hamilton insists he is in a strong position as the drivers’ title race moves towards an exciting climax.

Lewis Hamilton dismisses 'rubbish' speculation

The former world champion has also said that he has put talk of a potential switch to Mercedes at the end of this season when his McLaren contract expires to one side and is focused only on racing.

He is 4/1 to win this year’s drivers’ title and 9/4 to finish first at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton has called some of the speculation surrounding his future “rubbish” and insists: “My focus is on trying to win this world championship.

The most important thing is that I do not get distracted by all the rubbish that’s been around.

Lewis Hamilton

“Of course I do have to have those things sorted out but I have people in the background working on those contract negotiations. There’s a lot of speculation, there’s a lot of stories that aren’t true.

“I think we’re all wise enough to understand that people write things and that what is written is not necessarily what is true. I think the most important thing is that I’m 100 per cent focused on winning with this team and taking them forward.

“I’ve been with the team since I was 13 and we’ve worked so hard since 2009 to try and win this championship and hopefully, finally, we’re in the position where we can. So the most important thing is that I do not get distracted by all the rubbish that’s been around.”

Hamilton is currently second in the championship, while former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso leads the standings and Kimi Raikkonen is third. Alonso is 1/2 to win the drivers’ title for a third time while Raikkonen is 12/1 to clinch the world championship.

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Lewis Hamilton – Whitmarsh holds hope

September 7, 2012 - 23:59 | F1

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McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh believes Lewis Hamilton will remain with his current employers despite rumours regarding his future.

Martin Whitmarsh expects Lewis Hamilton to stay at McLaren.

The 2008 world champion has been linked with a move to Mercedes, as the speculation regarding his future continues.

However, Whitmarsh is confident McLaren will be able to keep hold of the 27-year-old, who will race in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza this weekend.

He told Sky Sports News: “Lewis and his management company have assured me of their intentions.

“The media like this kind of speculation, but I’ve been doing this job too long to be surprised by things like that. It’s a fairly incestuous paddock so you tend to know, certainly if you’ve been around for 20 years, what’s going on.

“Often stories that circulate get blown out of proportion for entertainment reasons or whatever. So I don’t spend any time, effort or energy on things like that. It will be resolved. I don’t think it’s a big an issue in this team as perhaps it is in the media room.”

Hamilton is 5/2 to win in Italy this weekend, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button 4/1 and Drivers’ Championship leader Fernando Alonso 9/2.

Hamilton currently trails Alonso by 47 points in the overall standings and is 7/1 to win his second world championship.

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Jenson Button victorious in Belgium

September 2, 2012 - 17:01 | F1

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Jenson Button roars to victory in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorhamps.

Sebastian Vettel finished second.

Jenson Button began the race on pole, claimed the 14th victory of his career with a composed drive which leave him sixth in the Drivers’ Championship. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel claimed a battling second, with Kimi Raikkonen third and Nico Hulkenberg fourth.

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In an incident packed race, Jenson Button’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton along with Romain Grosjean, the current leader of the Drivers’ championship Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez were all forced to retire after a crash at the first corner which left debris all across the track.

Grosjen, who had begun in ninth position on the grid, attempted to cut across the track entering the first corner but only could find the back of Hamilton, and in the resulting melee, the Frenchman crashed into both Alonso and Perez.

After the early drama Button kept his calm and never looked in danger of giving up his lead, and afterwards was understandably delighted with the result.

“What can I say, this circuit is so special to most drivers with the history and the way it flows,” said Jenson Button.

“To get a victory from lights to flag is very special, especially as it has not been an easy year for me. We are going to enjoy this before we head to Monza and hopefully do the same.”

One of the best drives of the day was by Vettel, who starting tenth on the grid was able to earn second. Speaking afterwards, the German described the race as ‘crazy’.

“It was a crazy race from where I started, the start was not so good and after the first corner when a lot of cars went off,” said the 25-year-old.

It was a crazy race from where I started.

Sebastian Vettel

It was pretty crazy, fortunately we came back with a fantastic strategy. It was the right call and the car was quite good in the race and we were able to pick up some places in the race.

It’s great to come here, great to come second and I’m looking forward already to coming back here next year. This circuit is unbelievable.”

Button is rated as 22/1 to win the Drivers’ Championship, with Alonso 13/10.

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Button keen to break duck

July 3, 2012 - 17:00 | Uncategorized

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Jenson Button is desperate to end his dismal record at the British Grand Prix when the latest race of the 2012 season takes place at Silverstone this weekend.

During his career, Button has never even been on the podium in 12 attempts at his home grand prix, although he did finish fourth with BAR eight years ago and again with McLaren in 2010.

Button, who is 16/1 to break his duck by winning the British GP on Sunday, has only amassed six points from his last five races and is keen to turn the tide as soon as possible.

It would be a very special year to stand at the top of the podium as winner of the British Grand Prix.

Jenson Button

The title race remains wide open even though the halfway stage of the season has almost been reached and Button is 40/1 to finish at the top of the standings while McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton is available at 3/1 and double world champion Sebastian Vettel at 9/4 to make it three titles in a row.

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When asked about the possibility of winning at Silverstone, Button replied: “I’ve imagined it many times. I’m sure it feels very special because you see the fans excited and celebrating with you.

“It’s a massive year for the UK with the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics. It would be a very special year to stand at the top of the podium as winner of the British Grand Prix.

“Of course, every year is special to win your home grand prix but this year we have the best opportunity. The car should suit the circuit. Although we race for a team, most drivers are very patriotic and they want to succeed at their home grands prix for themselves but also for their countrymen.”