Mercedes: Hamilton and Schumacher in 2013?

If there is one saga that has been animating the world of Formula 1 for a few weeks, it’s the one sending Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes next season that holds a special place. Prelude to a game of musical chairs that observers love or simply an exchange of good practices, that is the question.

The increasingly persistent rumor thus sends the 2008 world champion, nurtured at Woking since he was 12, to Mercedes. If James Allen has already expressed his conviction about the imminent departure of Lewis Hamilton, the British daily Daily Mail presents a range of reasons that could explain this choice: « The 2008 world champion would have been frustrated by McLaren’s refusal to at least match his current salary. The major point of disagreement concerns the undervaluation of his image rights, which he has to forgo in favor of their army of sponsors. » The financial issue, especially as Formula 1 is also going through the global economic crisis that has been ongoing since 2007, has often been cited as the main source of conflict between the two parties.

However, other issues would justify the decision of the McLaren driver, reports the Daily Mail: « Aside from the financial aspect, Hamilton is excited at the prospect of working at Mercedes under the direction of Brawn, the man who helped guide Michael Schumacher to seven titles with Benetton and then Ferrari. […] Hamilton is confident that, with Brawn at the helm and the support of one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, Mercedes could provide him with a car capable of fulfilling his dream of matching Ayrton Senna’s record of three world titles. »

Leaving to bounce back better is a situation not unfamiliar to the current leader of the world championship, Fernando Alonso, who, after several lean seasons, finds himself in the title race for the second time since joining Ferrari: « Leaving McLaren was the best decision of my life. So, if Hamilton is considering this option too, I don’t see why anyone could say it’s not possible. » After a challenging 2007 season, during which the Spaniard had to fight against his young teammate, a certain Lewis Hamilton, eventually losing by one point to Kimi Räikkönen in the title race, Alonso decided to return to Renault where he spent two difficult seasons, winning only two races, including one marred by blatant cheating, before joining Scuderia Ferrari from 2010.

The Asturian continues: « McLaren is a great team, but they won the world championship [drivers] in 2008 only on the last corner of the last race. If you take away that title, you have to go back a long way to find another one. » A statement in the form of advice? It would be possible to believe it, as the two men have shown, for several seasons, a genuine respect for each other after a difficult cohabitation. « I said he is one of the only drivers capable of winning without having the best car. Others win if the car is good, and when it’s not, that’s not the case. »

Despite everything, the situation could prove to be more complex than Hamilton simply joining Mercedes. The German newspaper Bild reveals that negotiations to extend Michael Schumacher’s contract by at least one year are in full swing, thus sidelining the theory proposed by Bernie Ecclestone, among others, that the seven-time world champion would retire at the end of the current season. This information is confirmed by Norbert Haug, head of Mercedes’ sports division: “There is still no decision. We continue to negotiate.” Another piece of information: the Mercedes driver went to Magny-Cours this week to attend a young drivers’ test day; an attitude which, according to some observers, would tend to disprove the theory of retirement at the end of the season.

An extension of Schumacher’s contract within the star brand could lead to two situations for the star brand: the first would be the renewal of the line-up from the previous three seasons, namely the Rosberg-Schumacher pair, which could thus prevent Hamilton from taking a seat in one of the Silver Arrows, especially since the Briton is reportedly demanding nearly 25 million euros per year, according to *Bild*. The second possibility would involve a major negotiation between McLaren and Mercedes, in which Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton would swap seats, against the backdrop of discussions about the Mercedes engine, with the agreement providing the free supply of the German unit to the British team set to end in 2013.