user icon
icon
link-icon
<< Return to the news list
'Silly season' turns bad for McLaren, Schumacher

'Silly season' turns bad for McLaren, Schumacher

  • Published on 01 Oct 2012 08:42
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Martin Whitmarsh on Friday insisted McLaren did not push Lewis Hamilton away. After the news arrived that the team's protege and 2008 world champion is switching to Mercedes, some said McLaren simply didn't offer the Briton enough money or good enough contractual terms.

"We made a financial offer which is better than anyone in formula one, other than himself, receives today," team boss Whitmarsh is quoted by Reuters. "I know we made a very, very big financial offer."

Whatever went wrong for Whitmarsh, who insists he is happy to pair youngster Sergio Perez with Jenson Button, it has also gone wrong for Michael Schumacher. "We had a good time with Michael Schumacher," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told Welt newspaper, "however we did not achieve the goals that we set ourselves. "That was the requirement for a contract extension."

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm revealed that they let a summer option on his current Mercedes contract lapse. Schumacher "would have been able to sign (for 2013) if he had wanted to earlier in the summer", she told the BBC.

Now, Sauber appears the seven time world champion's only real option to keep racing. "It's true I was at Sauber," said Kehm, responding to reports she met recently with Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn. "I have known them for years. But that doesn't mean anything more than I'm regularly there."

Willi Weber, Schumacher's former manager, doesn't know what went wrong. "I saw him last at Monza, and he was full of energy and ambition, which convinced me completely that everything was in the bag with Mercedes," he told SID news agency.

Weber said he can imagine his former charge taking up a management or ambassadorial position with Mercedes now. He would not advise Schumacher to take up Sauber's offer. "No, and I have nothing against Sauber, but I do not think he wants to go from a global player to a private team," said Weber. (GMM)
F1 News Jenson Button Lewis Hamilton Sergio Perez McLaren Sauber Mercedes

Replies (0)

Login to reply

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2024

Pos
Team
Points
1
McLaren
666
2
Ferrari
652
3
Red Bull Racing
589
4
Mercedes
468
5
Aston Martin
94
6
Alpine F1
65
7
Haas F1
58
8
Visa Cash App RB
46
9
Williams
17
10
Sauber
4
Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia
Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
19 - Apr 21
China
Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
Italy
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
24 - May 26
Monaco
Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
Austria
Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy
Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
Losail International Circuit
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
-
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan Circuit Suzuka
19 - Apr 21
China Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
Italy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
Canada Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
1 - Nov 3
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
Qatar Losail International Circuit
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
-
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

GB Jenson Button 22
Jenson Button
  • Team McLaren
  • Points 37
  • Podiums 0
  • Grand Prix 41
  • Country GB
  • Date of b. Jan 19 1980 (44)
  • Place of b. Frome, Somerset, GB
  • Weight 72 kg
  • Length 1.82 m
Show full profile

Team profile

McLaren
McLaren
Show full profile
show sidebar