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Lewis Hamilton keen to sort out F1 future

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:48:29 +0000

Last updated at 8:33 AM on 2nd February 2012 Lewis Hamilton has vowed to put an end to speculation over his future sooner rather than later this season.Hamilton is now in the final season of a five-year contract with McLaren worth £10million per year, with much of the focus likely to centre on whether he remains at a team he has been with since the age of 13. On track: Hamilton at the launch of the MP4-27 at McLaren HQ on Wednesday With seats expected to become available at all the major rivals – Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – come the end of the campaign it appears as if Hamilton could have his pick. Much could depend on McLaren’s latest challenger, the MP4-27 that Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button unveiled on Wednesday at the team’s headquarters in Woking. On the move: The McLaren man’s contract expires at the end of this season Asked about his future, the 27-year-old appreciates it is ‘going to be a big topic’, but will not allow it to linger and overshadow the campaign. He added: ‘At the moment the focus is on the preparation we have coming up for the season. ‘Probably after the first couple of races it’s something we will probably want to get out of the way. ‘We can then focus on the rest of the year without the team being concerned and without it being something hanging around, so then you guys (the media) won’t have to ask questions about it. ‘So I’ll try to get that out of the way at some stage, probably in the earlier part of the year rather than later.’ After appearing a tortured soul at the end of last season as the pain of his break-up with girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger compounded a number of on-track accidents, Hamilton is convinced he has rid himself of the mental demons that plagued him. A determined Hamilton said: ‘I want to win every race. I think I can. ‘I think I’ve the ability to. If the car is where we hope there’s no reason why we can’t do that. ‘The only thing that ever gets in your way is your own mind and your own insecurities or obstacles that you put in your way. ‘The most important thing is to put those things aside and to overcome them, and I think I have. ‘So I feel right….

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Lewis Hamilton vows to end speculation over McLaren future sooner rather than later

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:59:54 +0000

What lies ahead: Lewis Hamilton promised to sort out his F1 future in the early part of the coming season Photo: ACTION IMAGES By Telegraph staff and agencies 4:37AM GMT 02 Feb 2012 Hamilton is now in the final season of a five-year contract with McLaren worth £10 million per year, with much of the focus likely to centre on whether he remains at a team he has been with since the age of 13. With seats expected to become available at all the major rivals – Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – come the end of the campaign it appears as if Hamilton could have his pick. Much could depend on McLaren’s latest challenger, the MP4-27 that Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button unveiled yesterday at the team’s headquarters in Woking. Asked by Press Association Sport as to his future, the 27-year-old appreciates it is ”going to be a big topic”, but will not allow it to linger and overshadow the campaign. He added: ”At the moment the focus is on the preparation we have coming up for the season. ”Probably after the first couple of races it’s something we will probably want to get out of the way. ”We can then focus on the rest of the year without the team being concerned and without it being something hanging around, so then you guys (the media) won’t have to ask questions about it. ”So I’ll try to get that out of the way at some stage, probably in the earlier part of the year rather than later.” After appearing a tortured soul at the end of last season as the pain of his break-up with girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger compounded a number of on-track accidents, Hamilton is convinced he has rid himself of the mental demons that plagued him. A determined Hamilton said: ”I want to win every race. I think I can. ”I think I’ve the ability to. If the car is where we hope there’s no reason why we can’t do that. ”The only thing that ever gets in your way is your own mind and your own insecurities or obstacles that you put in your way. ”The most important thing is to put those things aside and to overcome them, and I think I have. ”So…

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Lewis Hamilton no longer his own worst enemy

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:35 +0000

By Alan Baldwin | Reuters – WOKING, England (Reuters) – If Lewis Hamilton was his own worst enemy at times last year, the McLaren driver assured the world on Wednesday that he would be starting the new Formula One season very much at ease with himself again. Smiling and greeting reporters with a firm gaze and familiar iron handshake, the 2008 world champion explained that he had spent his winter weeks sorting out his mind and finding his way to a happier place. “I think it was just a fantastic winter where I got to spend time with friends and family and really was able to wind down,” said the 27-year-old, who complained last year about feeling burnt out. “I let loose for the first week where I did a bit of skiing and then I ate pancakes and all that stuff that I said I wasn’t going to do,” he told Reuters after the launch of the new MP4-27 car at the Woking factory. “I then got into quite an intense training regime and sat down in between times where I analysed the year and certain things in my personal life which weren’t as good as they could be and went about correcting those things. “Today I just feel very fresh in my mind and very free of perhaps any of the burdens that I had on me last year.” Hamilton’s 2011 season was punctuated by crashes and collisions, mostly with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, and his on/off/on again relationship with American pop singer Nicole Scherzinger. He said he was now fully focused on the job of being a grand prix driver. “What I have decided to do this year is just focus on the most important thing and that’s racing,” he said. “Of course I accept that my personal life is in the domain but I’d rather just focus on racing. But things are good. So I’m happy.” CONTRACT TALKS Hamilton won three races last season but was beaten by Jenson Button, the first team mate who has ever finished a campaign ahead of him overall. Despite that fact, bookmakers have already established Hamilton as 5/1 joint second favourite for the title along with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel but ahead of Button on 7/1. “I want to win every race. I think I can,” he said of the season that starts in Melbourne on March 18….

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Lewis Hamilton is a coward, says former Force India Formula One driver Adrian Sutil

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:45:12 +0000

Fallout: Adrian Sutil with Lewis Hamilton during happier times Photo: EPA Former Force India driver Sutil was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm in a nightclub confrontation in China and given an 18-month suspended sentence on Tuesday. Hamilton declined to testify because of what he said were previous commitments with his McLaren team. “Lewis is a coward, I don’t want to be friends with someone like that,” Sutil told Bild newspaper. “For me, he is not a man. Even his father sent me a (text message) wishing me luck at the trial. I got nothing from Lewis. He changed his mobile number. I couldn’t reach him.” Hamilton witnessed the incident at a party following Hamilton’s victory at the China Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 17 last year when Sutil cut Renault team executive Eric Lux in the neck with a champagne glass. Lux needed two dozen stitches. Sutil said he only wanted to spill his drink on Lux, who was part owner of the team now renamed Lotus, and that causing the injury was completely “unintentional and accidental.” Sutil was also fined €200,000 (£166.760), to be paid to charities. The 29-year-old Sutil lost his seat at Force India after five seasons to German compatriot Nico Hulkenberg in December. Sutil is without a team for this year. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Lewis Hamilton is a coward, says Adrian Sutil

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:48:38 +0000

By Philip Duncan Last updated at 2:53 PM on 1st February 2012 Guilty: Sutil was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil has branded Lewis Hamilton ‘a coward’ and claimed he no longer regarded him as a friend after the British star failed to appear as a witness in his assault case. Sutil was handed a 18-month suspended prison sentence and a £167,000 fine on Tuesday after being convicted of causing grievous bodily harm. The 29-year-old was found guilty of striking Renault chief Eric Lux around the neck with a champagne glass – a wound that required 24 stitches – after Hamilton’s victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in April last year. Hamilton was due to appear as a witness at the two-day trial in Munich but informed officials he would be unable to testify due to commitments with McLaren. He instead submitted a written statement to say he didn’t see the incident. Friendship over: Sutil has called Hamilton ‘a coward’ after failing to testify And speaking to German newspaper Bild, Sutil blasted the McLaren star. ‘Lewis is a coward, I don’t want to be friends with someone like that,’ he said. ‘For me, he is not a man. Even his father sent me a (text message) wishing me luck at the trial. I got nothing from Lewis. He changed his mobile number. I couldn’t reach him.’Sutil, who has lost his drive at Force India for the upcoming season, insisted he only wanted to spill his drink on Lux and the incident was ‘unintentional and accidental.’Asked for his reaction, Hamilton was prevented from replying by a McLaren spokesman.He said: ‘We’ve been told that Lewis shouldn’t really go there (talk about the case) because it might go under appeal. So can we move on to the next question.”I’ll listen to him,’ said Hamilton. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh defends ‘brilliant’ Lewis Hamilton

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:36:07 +0000

My man: McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh (left) has defended Lewis Hamilton Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Telegraph staff and agencies 2:32PM GMT 27 Jan 2012 McLaren are just five days away from launching their new car they hope will finally propel them ahead of Red Bull following two years of dominance from their Milton Keynes-based rivals and drivers’ champion Sebastian Vettel. Last season, in particular, was tough for Hamilton who was embroiled in numerous incidents on track, appearing to lose focus at times as personal issues off it also affected him. So when asked whether ”a serious chat” was required with the 27-year-old following ”a tough 2011”, Whitmarsh’s response was emphatic. ”Lewis won three grands prix in 2011, one of only three drivers to have won more than a single race,” said Whitmarsh. ”The other two were Sebastian and (McLaren team-mate) Jenson (Button). Again, just as most teams have never and will never win six grands prix in a single season, as McLaren did last year, it’s equally true to say most drivers have never and will never win three grands prix in a single season, as Lewis did last year. ”Indeed, some of the most compelling highlights of last season’s on-track action, from the point of view of a racer’s sheer talent shining through, were provided by Lewis. In China, Germany and Abu Dhabi, and in many other places besides, he was awesomely impressive. ”Nonetheless, you described 2011 as ‘a tough season’ for Lewis and undoubtedly there’s some truth in that. But, such is the level of his ambition that he’s his own sternest critic. ”Sometimes, therefore, when things don’t go quite right for him, he lets it get to him. We saw that last year sometimes. But it’s a measure of his competitiveness, a side effect of his monumental will to win. ”As such, we wouldn’t want Lewis any other way. He’s a truly brilliant racing driver – one of the fastest we’ve ever seen. And that’s why, throughout last year, we were always keen to reassure him we were backing him 100%.” Underlining what Hamilton has achieved with McLaren in his five years in F1 with the Woking-based team, and many more beyond that given he was recruited at an early age, Whitmarsh, speaking…

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Lewis Hamilton Unable to Attend and Support Adrian Sutil at Court Hearing: A Fan’s Reaction

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:42:00 +0000

By Kristin Watt, Yahoo! Contributor Network Adrian Sutil, a driver in the Formula 1 series, is accused of assaulting Eric Lux, who is an executive of the Lotus-Renault team. Sutil and Lux had been in a nightclub in Shanghai, China, when there was an altercation that resulted in Lux needed stitches in his neck and a broken champagne glass. Lux wanted to press charges and sue Sutil. Charges were filed against the driver. The two have divergent stories, however. Lux claims that Sutil attacked him with a broken champagne glass and inflicted injuries on Lux’s neck that required stitches. Sutil claims that he just wanted to pour champagne on Lux’s head after the two argued. There is no indication of how the glass broke. So far, there is not a lot of evidence to determine which one is right and which is wrong. As of now, Sutil is charged with assaulting the executive. It is speculated that due to a lack of evidence otherwise, the court will rule that it was not the result of a purposeful attack. Lewis Hamilton had planned to make an appearance at the trial to provide evidence in favor of his friend, Adrian Sutil. It is rumored that Hamilton had been at the scene at the time of the altercation. It is not known what role he played in the incident or what he was planning to present as evidence. The trial is scheduled for the end of January in Germany and it was in direct conflict with Hamilton’s team commitments. Sutil had been racing in the Formula 1 series for five years. He was not the most successful driver in the series. He had only three top fives in his career. The driver is a member of Force India and is from Germany. Drivers do seem to harbor grudges and tensions, even with team owners. There is no indication of what set off the argument. Hopefully both the driver and the team executive can move on from the incident and get back to having a working relationship. It would not be good for the sport to have deep feuds between teams that get violent outside of the track. Kristin Watt has been a fan of motorsports since she was a young girl and she watched NASCAR races with her mother. That love of NASCAR quickly evolved into a great enjoyment of many different…

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Lewis Hamilton unable to testify in Adrian Sutil trial

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:52:54 +0000

By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 2:04 PM on 24th January 2012 Lewis Hamilton has informed court officials in Munich he will be unable to testify in the trial of friend Adrian Sutil on the day he was anticipated to appear. It was expected Hamilton would be summonsed as a witness to give evidence in Munich’s district court on the first day of the trial on January 30. No show: Lewis Hamilton has told a Munich court he can’t attend next week Former Force India driver Sutil faces charges of aggravated assault following an incident in a nightclub in Shanghai after last year’s Chinese Grand Prix, a race Hamilton won on April 17. Sutil is alleged to have struck Lotus team executive Eric Lux with a champagne glass, causing a wound that required 24 stitches. Trial: Adrian Sutil is alleged to have assaulted Eric Lux with a glass Hamilton’s lawyer, however, has now informed the court his client is unavailable due to a prior engagement with McLaren. It is unclear whether the trial will now proceed without Hamilton or if a new date will be scheduled to ensure he can attend. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Hamilton to testify in Sutil case

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:40:37 +0000

Sutil and Hamilton are close friends and were in the same nightclub at the time of the incident McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is expected to be called to testify in the trial of former Force India driver Adrian Sutil. The German is charged with causing grievous bodily harm in an incident involving Eric Lux, an executive of the Renault team, now renamed Lotus. Hamilton, a close friend of Sutil, was in the nightclub at the time. Media reports have said he will be called to testify on 30 January, but BBC Sport understands that Hamilton may ask to attend on a different date. Two trial dates have been set – 30 and 31 January. “The first day Lewis Hamilton is being called as a witness,” court spokeswoman Ingrid Kaps told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper. “This is a mandatory appearance.” Hamilton is willing to co-operate with the trial but McLaren’s 2012 Formula 1 car is being launched at the team’s factory on 1 February and it is understood he has commitments to his team that may preclude him testifying on 30 January. Sutil has issued an apology over the incident, which happened in a Shanghai nightclub last April on the night after the Chinese Grand Prix. Prosecutors are requesting a year’s suspended sentence for Sutil. Both Lux and Sutil were among guests at a party to celebrate Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Shanghai race. Sutil’s manager has said the driver was looking forward to seeing the truth of the incident come out in court. Force India have already announced Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg as Sutil’s replacement in their team for the 2012 season. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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Lewis Hamilton in court as star witness in GBH trial of Adrian Sutil

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:44:32 +0000

By Sportsmail ReporterLast updated at 4:34 PM on 20th January 2012 Call-up: Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton will appear in court as a witness in the GBH trial of fellow driver Adrian Sutil.German Sutil is alleged to have glassed Lotus team executive Eric Lux in a Shanghai nightclub in April.British star Hamilton was also in the club on the night of his victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Munich trial of Sutil, who is without a drive after being axed by Force India, is expected to take place over two days, starting on January 30. That means Hamilton will have to head directly from the trial to attend the launch of the 2012 McLaren car on February 1.’Lewis Hamilton will be called as a witness on the first day,’ a Munich court spokeswoman confirmed. ‘The appearance is mandatory.’ Allegations: Adrian Sutil is in the dock in Munich Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmermann insists his client will clear his name.He said: ‘We have a video where it can be seen clearly that this was not Adrian attacking or intentionally hurting someone.’We expect an acquittal, or at worst a conviction for negligent injury. But that would not jeopardise his career.’ This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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