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Hamilton will come out 'fighting' for Japanese GP
Source: Agencies |
October 4, 2012, Thursday
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IN his first race since confirmation he will leave McLaren to join Mercedes next season, Lewis Hamilton must get his focus back on track and the Formula One championship fight at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
Mercedes announced last Friday that Hamilton will replace seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher in a major shake-up that also sees Sergio Perez going to McLaren.
Hamilton has two wins and three non-finishes from his past five races, with that inconsistency leaving him in fourth place in the standings, 52 points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with six races to go. He led in Singapore until a gearbox failure on lap 23 knocked him out of the race.
"In terms of the championship, there's nothing to be really gained by analyzing the points tables," Hamilton said. "From now on it's simply gloves-off. As in Singapore, I'll come out fighting, I'll just be hoping for a better result."
Hamilton has spent his entire F1 career with McLaren and won the 2008 title, but the team was unwilling to match a lucrative offer from Mercedes.
For Schumacher, Hamilton's move could mark the end of the most decorated career the sport has seen - and a three-year comeback that has seen him fail to duplicate the success of his prime - although there is speculation the 43-year-old German could replace Perez at Sauber next season.
Despite the distractions, Schumacher said he was looking forward to the Japanese GP, a race he has won six times.
"My motivation is still very high after the news from last week, especially as Suzuka very clearly is one of the highlights in the calendar for me," Schumacher said.
Mercedes announced last Friday that Hamilton will replace seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher in a major shake-up that also sees Sergio Perez going to McLaren.
Hamilton has two wins and three non-finishes from his past five races, with that inconsistency leaving him in fourth place in the standings, 52 points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with six races to go. He led in Singapore until a gearbox failure on lap 23 knocked him out of the race.
"In terms of the championship, there's nothing to be really gained by analyzing the points tables," Hamilton said. "From now on it's simply gloves-off. As in Singapore, I'll come out fighting, I'll just be hoping for a better result."
Hamilton has spent his entire F1 career with McLaren and won the 2008 title, but the team was unwilling to match a lucrative offer from Mercedes.
For Schumacher, Hamilton's move could mark the end of the most decorated career the sport has seen - and a three-year comeback that has seen him fail to duplicate the success of his prime - although there is speculation the 43-year-old German could replace Perez at Sauber next season.
Despite the distractions, Schumacher said he was looking forward to the Japanese GP, a race he has won six times.
"My motivation is still very high after the news from last week, especially as Suzuka very clearly is one of the highlights in the calendar for me," Schumacher said.
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