Lewis Hamilton happy with Mercedes decision

Lewis Hamilton remains confident with his decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes at the end of the season, despite many varying opinions on the Briton’s move up and down the paddock. Current team boss Martin Whitmarsh expressed how Hamilton might be regretting his decision, however the 2008 World Champion has denied this belief.

As the teams and drivers prepare for the penultimate race of the season around the brand-new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave McLaren after many years with the team once again brought the Briton under the media spotlight. Although Mercedes have won one race this season, their consistency at the sharp end of the pack has been highly questionable, in comparison to McLaren’s results throughout 2012.

Lewis Hamilton will be replacing Michael Schumacher at the German marque and will partner Nico Rosberg, a pairing which could produce some sensational results should the car improve during the winter. It’s a no-brainer that McLaren are currently much quicker than Mercedes, with the Woking-based outfit electing to replace the outward-bound Briton with Mexico’s Sergio Perez. This decision has also been criticized by some throughout the paddock, with even Martin Whitmarsh understanding that the team have made a big gamble in signing such a young driver.

However, Martin Whitmarsh is confident he and the team will be able to tutor Sergio Perez into a race winner over the winter-period, and has speculated that Lewis Hamilton could be regretting his decision to move to Mercedes. The 2008 World Champion was quick to dispel these remarks from his team boss, insisting to the media that he remains happy with his decision to join Mercedes.

“I was a little bit surprised to hear that.” Explained Lewis Hamilton with regards to Martin Whitmarsh’s comments, “It’s clearly absolutely not the case. But I’ve got a great team and I’ve been with them such a long time. So, I’m sure everyone has emotions within the team but I’m still here giving 100 per cent to them for the last two races. Of course it’s quite emotional for me but I’m very, very happy with the decision I’ve made.”

Lewis Hamilton was the last driver to win a Grand Prix on American soil back in 2007, during his highly successful debut season in the sport. Since then, the British star has endured a roller-coaster career which has seen him be crowned World Champion in 2008 and also encounter many difficulties at his time with McLaren. Either way, the Briton will unarguably be eager to end his career with McLaren in a positive manner, with at least one more victory this season.

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