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2013 Formula One World Championship


CumbrianRam

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More of an intruiging race than edge-of-the-seat excitement. A 7/10 race.

 

Don't expect Räikkönen (I copied his name from Cisse's post) to win the Championship though. It was a classic opening-race victory, whereby one team had understood the best statergy first and had a driver to execute it. Unless the Lotus has the pace to qualify on the front-row, wins like you saw yesterday will gradually dissapear throughout the season as everyon starts to get their head around the tires in racing conditions.

 

Mercedes seem to have a decent race-day car, as well as a decent qualifying car. I'd put them just behind Lotus, Ferrari and Red Bull. It will win a race this year.

 

Red Bull were scratching their heads a bit but they still have the car to beat IMO - although Ferrari and Lotus have definitely closed the gap. Ferrari have sorted out their wind tunnel issues as well, so there's potential for that gap to close even further.

 

As for McLaren? Right now, it's not even close to a podium car. My guess is unless there's dramatic improvement in the next few races, they'll go back to last year's car. They've done it before.

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Bernie Ecclestone has sensationally claimed that Lewis Hamilton asked him to broker a move for him to World Champions Red Bull to partner Sebastian Vettel for this season prior to the former McLaren driver's eventual switch to Mercedes.

Speaking in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, F1's commercial impresario shed light on details of what are reported to have been 'advanced discussions' between Hamilton and Red Bull at last July's British GP, two months before the driver agreed a three-year deal with Mercedes.

However, any move to pair the 2008 World Champion with reigning triple title winner Vettel failed to materialise due to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who gave incumbent Mark Webber first refusal on the 2013 drive - which the Australian ultimately took despite having held talks with Ferrari.

"Sebastian wouldn't have cared if Lewis had signed for the team," Ecclestone told the newspaper.

"Dietrich is a very honest, straightforward guy and told Mark the door was open for him to stay. That was good of him.

"Had Mark gone, Dietrich would have signed Lewis."

If the timeframe of Hamilton's talks with Red Bull are correct, then they took place just days before Webber ultimately agreed a one-year contract extension at Milton Keynes on the back of winning the Silverstone event.

Ecclestone's revelation is at odds, however, with comments made by Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner last week when the Englishman suggested he didn't think a blockbuster partnership of Vettel and Hamilton would ever be the right thing for the team.

"Lewis is a fantastically quick driver and he has expressed interest in driving for the team in the past. But it wouldn't have been right for the team," Horner told The Daily Telegraph.

"I have great admiration for the talent he has but I don't think Lewis and Sebastian would be the right combination."

With Webber's extended deal ultimately making academic any ambitions Hamilton harboured of a switch to the sport's recent dominant force, the 28-year-old was forced to look elsewhere if he wanted to leave his long-time McLaren home.

In September Hamilton duly decided agreed a three-year deal with Mercedes, and now six months on, Ecclestone says he first floated the idea to the British star.

"Why not talk to Mercedes, Lewis?," Ecclestone claimed he suggested.

"Lewis rolled his eyes ... but I told him that he had nothing to lose as he wanted out of McLaren."

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12472/8593169/Bernie-Ecclestone-says-Lewis-Hamilton-originally-wanted-2013-Red-Bull-move

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Christian Horner didn't want 2 number 1's on his hands pretty obvious, you need a Webber or Massa happy to come 2nd for the team. Hamilton will end up there when Vettel moves to Ferrari, you can bookmark this and quote me on that.

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