Ο Lewis Hamilton στην Mercedes

Μπορεί το φετινό πρωτάθλημα της formula 1 να έχει μπόλικο δρόμο μπροστά του, ωστόσο ήδη άρχισαν οι μεταγραφές εν όψη της νέας χρονιάς!

Οι πρώτες αλλαγές στρατοπέδων άρχισαν να ανακοινώνονται και όλα δείχνουν πως του χρόνου θα έχουμε ένα αρκετά διαφοροποιημένο σκηνικό. Για αρχή, ο Lewis Hamilton εγκαταλείπει την McLaren και πάει στην Mercedes όπου θα αναλάβει την θέση του Michael Schumacher ο οποίος δεν ξέρουμε ακόμα αν θα πάει σε κάποια άλλη ομάδα ή θα εγκαταλείψει -ξανά- την ενεργό δράση.

Η συμφωνία αυτή φαίνεται πως είχε επέλθει εδώ και καιρό καθώς ταυτόχρονα η McLaren ανακοίνωσε την απόκτηση του Sergio Perez για την κενή θέση του Hamilton.

Διαβάστε παρακάτω τα σχόλια των Lewis Hamilton, Ross Brawn, Sergio Perez και Martin Whitmarsh.

Lewis Hamilton:

“It is now time for me to take on a fresh challenge and I am very excited to begin a new chapter racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Mercedes-Benz has such an incredible heritage in motorsport, along with a passion for winning which I share. Together, we can grow and rise to this new challenge. I believe that I can help steer the Silver Arrows to the top and achieve our joint ambitions of winning the world championships.”

Ross Brawn:

“The arrival of a driver of Lewis’ calibre is a testament to the standing of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One and I am proud that Lewis shares our vision and ambition for the success of the Silver Arrows. I believe that the combination of Lewis and Nico will be the most dynamic and exciting pairing on the grid next year, and I am looking forward to what we can achieve together. Over the past three years, we have been putting in place the foundations and building blocks that are needed to compete regularly for the world championship. Behind the scenes, we have assembled a team that is technically stronger, more experienced and better resourced, thanks to the support of Petronas and all of our loyal team partners. The potential is now there to match any other team on the grid, which is the minimum standard for a Mercedes-Benz works team. Our task is now to translate that potential into on-track performance for next season and beyond.”

Sergio Perez:

“I’m thrilled and delighted to have become a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver. The McLaren name is one of the greatest in the history of Formula 1. For more than 40 years McLaren has been a team that every racing driver has aspired to drive for – I was brought up on the great stories of Ayrton Senna’s many world championship triumphs for McLaren – and I’m truly honoured that they’ve chosen me to partner Jenson from 2013 onwards.”

Martin Whitmarsh:

“On behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’m delighted to welcome Sergio on board. His performances throughout 2012 have convinced us that he’s an extremely exciting prospect for the future. It was a string of giant-killing performances, a trio of podiums and a brilliant fastest lap in this year’s Monaco Grand Prix that showed us that Sergio lacks nothing in terms of speed and commitment. We’ve been monitoring his progress carefully for some months – and, now that he’s become part of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, our task will be to refine and develop his abilities as his career progresses over the coming years. Uniting Sergio alongside Jenson will give us a very broad base of driver ability. Jenson is one of motorsport’s greatest ambassadors, and his unique blend of prodigious speed and canny race-craft makes him formidably well-armed to fight for victory on any Grand Prix circuit in the world. While Sergio is still developing his palette of skills, we’re convinced that he’s not only talented and quick, but also that he’s willing and eager to learn. He’s perfectly poised to develop into a world championship challenger. His addition to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team provides us with the perfect two-pronged driver line-up for the new season.