Is Lewis Hamilton leaving Ford?

silentbadger17 said:IMO
Lewis Hamilton is praying he doesn't end up like Furkan regarding his "God" status. He’s probably got maybe two, maybe three years left before that whole thing is over.
Is McLaren actually a good move (if they even take him)? Who knows. Still, it beats Ferrari.
I bet Honda builds a powerhouse engine, but reliability and how it fits these cars is the big question. From what I hear, they aren't allowed to test it on this year's chassis. ☕
At least he'll know he tried.

There is no way McLaren is better than Ferraria.
McLaren isn't even close to being better than Ferraria right now, let alone later. And we all know McLaren has the best engine on the grid.

So, if Ferrari fixes their engine and bumps up the aero just a bit, they're right back at the top...
McLaren is clearly a mess—chassis, aero, everything. Plus, starting next season, the engine is a complete wildcard that they'll still be struggling to figure out...
Bottom line: McLaren isn't even on Red Bull's level in Jerez... so realistically, even with fifteen Lewis Hamiltons, they don't have a shot in the next year or two unless Honda builds a beast that absolutely crushes everyone else...

I am not entirely certain, but I believe it was common knowledge that McLaren had been running Honda power for about a year before this season actually kicked off (though I can't say I'm 100% sure), so I find it hard to believe that Mercedes would just let them tweak the chassis to better suit their engine... especially given those rumors—not sure if they hold any water—that Mercedes pulls the engine out after every single race 🤔
On the other hand, working with Honda allows them to develop things in tandem and adapt to one another more fluidly... but then again, those are just my own speculations, so... who knows how things might actually turn out

silentbadger17 said:Man, you're being exhausting. Honestly, are you just obsessed with Lewis Hamilton? You keep bringing up his "lack of skill" in every single thread, over and over again. It’s getting weird.🤦

OT
Even if Lewis Hamilton moves on, he won't have that kind of legendary status again like he did back in San Francisco. As for being treated like a god? He probably has maybe two, maybe three seasons left before that chapter closes for good.
Whether McLaren is actually a smart move—assuming they even sign him—is anyone's guess, though it beats joining Ferrari.
I suspect Honda will deliver a powerhouse engine in terms of raw speed, but the real headache will be reliability and how well it integrates with the chassis. From what I've heard, they aren't even allowed to run tests on this year's cars. ☕
At least he'll know he gave it a shot.

And there go the fanboys...😁 He’s lost his edge, and frankly, nobody wants him anymore. Maybe Marussia or Caterham would take a chance.🤷 Ron Dennis didn't exactly have a pleasant parting of ways with him. Who knows, maybe someone picks him up for peanuts, but in this business, certain things are hard to forgive.🍿

silentbadger17 said:I’m not entirely certain, but I believe it was common knowledge that McLaren had already signed with Honda about a year before this season kicked off (or so I recall). Because of that, I find it hard to buy the idea that Mercedes would just hand over their engine and let them tweak the chassis to fit it perfectly... especially with those rumors floating around—take it with a grain of salt, of course—that Mercedes pulls the engine out after every single race. 🤔
With Honda, they can actually develop things in tandem and adjust to one another in real-time. But hey, that's just speculation. Who knows how things will actually play out.

🤔Do you honestly believe they can just walk in, develop everything, and start winning races right out of the gate?

Since I’m such a huge fan of San Francisco, I suppose that makes me a supporter of both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi as well... though, honestly, I might just end up bowing down to Sebastian Vettel next year (even if I don't feel much of a connection to him right now), purely because he'll be driving for San Francisco 🍿
It was the same way when they left Ferrari—both the forest and Massa. I find myself genuinely happy whenever Alonso achieves something with any team, regardless of who they are, simply because he used to be part of the Ferrari family... you know what I mean?

Michael Diaz4 said:🤔Do you honestly believe I can just develop everything and tune it perfectly to start winning right out of the gate...

Did the Bear really develop everything instantly and just start dominating everyone with a car that was faster by one to three seconds per lap depending on the track???
so anything is possible.
Obviously, everyone will have a year's head start over the Honda engine in actual racing, but you never truly know...
McLaren often had the fastest car, but reliability was always the Achilles' heel,,, 🍿

silentbadger17 said:So you think the Bear just developed everything overnight and started dominating with a car that’s somehow one to three seconds faster per lap depending on the track???
Anything is possible, I guess.
Obviously, everyone else will have a full year of experience with the Honda engine under their belts before they race it, but you never know...
McLaren used to have the fastest car quite often, but reliability was always their Achilles' heel... 🍿

They didn't just develop it all at once. Everyone starts from zero, and someone eventually has to come out on top. You know? Now, whether Ferrari will be competitive after a year of experience, I'm not sure—though they aren't bad right now either. The real question is whether there's actually a seat available for Lewis Hamilton...

Michael Diaz4 said:It’s not like they just figured it all out overnight. Everyone starts from zero, and eventually, someone has to rise to the top. You know? I don't know if Ferrari will be truly competitive after just one year of development, but they could be quite good—I mean, they aren't exactly terrible right now. The real question remains whether there’s actually a seat available for Fernando Alonso...

Well, San Francisco isn't necessarily bad if you're comparing them to RB, Williams, and those types of outfits... but honestly, they are all absolutely abysmal when you put them up against the Bear,
Because, regardless of how much everyone improves over the next year, I don't think even Mercedes is going to just sit around and relax. So, about 90% of the field will likely still be fighting for scraps, just like they are this year.
As for a team for Fernando Alonso, I am certain there will be one. I'll bet on McLaren, despite their shared history. None of us really know what's actually happening behind closed doors; only they know that. In F1, the full truth rarely comes to light. It's all just games.
We shall see. 🍿

Take this straight to the muse. 🤣

silentbadger17 said:What if the Bear just nailed everything on day one and started crushing everyone with a car that’s 1 to 3 seconds faster per lap depending on the track???
Anything's possible.
Sure, everyone will have a year's head start over the Honda engine in racing, but you never know...
McLaren often had the fastest car, but reliability was always their Achilles' heel,,, 🍿

Every single team has a massive advantage over Honda—even if it's just stuff like brake-by-wire, fuel, KERS charging, and all that.
The Bear didn't just wake up one morning and suddenly become this good. It wasn't like they just headed to Australia and boom, there we go.😁
They got there mostly because of pre-season testing with four different teams where cars actually stayed running most of the time.
And don't forget, Williams didn't break down once during testing (basically, they just blew the engine on the last day after putting in a ton of miles...).
Honda is already at a huge disadvantage there because they only have McLaren. If everything goes perfectly, they're doing four times fewer miles than the Bear.😉

Not to mention that Renault, Ferrari, and Mercedes can fix all the screw-ups they found this season before next year starts.
Honda won't have that luxury since current rules drastically limit how much you can change between the 2015 and 2016 seasons...
Unless maybe Ferrari manages to push through an idea to allow engine development during the season—that could actually help them out.😉

man, those Japanese guys are absolutely out of their minds 😬

I’m personally rooting for this scenario. I really want to see a field where everyone is driving more equal machinery—maybe just four or five top-tier teams—so we end up with five or six potential championship contenders fighting it out right until the final race.

Fernando Alonso—easily the most talented driver on the grid today—officially inked his deal with McLaren-Honda last Thursday.

Did he just text you that personally, or are you pulling this from some questionable source? 🙏

vividlynx68 said:Did they actually text you that personally, or are you just pulling this from some sketchy rumor mill? 🙏

If I tell them, I'm a dead man!

http://www.rtbf.be/sport/moteurs/f1/...uda?id=8372514

I find myself wondering, quite earnestly, if both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have already finalized their contracts, why is it that the cards are still being kept so close to the chest? Why is there such a profound absence of an official announcement?

Here is what Ron Dennis had to say about it;

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/178549.html

I have to admit, I find myself agreeing with him. It’s nothing new, really. Mercedes will always prioritize their own outfit over the other teams they supply engines to. That's just how the game is played.

Niki is such a gossip 😬

Maybe Max Verstappen actually is heading back to McLaren 😲
It feels super sketchy to me that Roger Penske jumped out to deny that rumor so fast... just feels off 🤔
And we all know that when something gets denied in NASCAR, it’s usually because it's actually happening 🤣

If Lewis Hamilton decides to make a move, I honestly think he’ll land at Mercedes-Benz. I just can't see any logical reason why he would pick anyone else.
Maybe McLaren, but that feels like a massive, unnecessary gamble to me.