“There are some brilliant individuals; Ross [Brawn, the Mercedes team
principal] is brilliant, for example. But Mercedes-Benz as an organ is very
different to how it was. We are not comparing like-for-like with the great
Silver Arrows. Personally I don’t think it was too clever to leave McLaren
but we’ll see.”
Moss, who never won the world championship after his gentlemanly conduct
helped Mike Hawthorn to pip him to the 1958 title by a point, conceded that
he did not know whether Hamilton’s relationship with McLaren was such that
he felt compelled to move.
“I think that may be the case, although I cannot say for sure as so much
happens behind closed doors. But I really think that if I was a driver now,
I would have preferred to have gone to Ferrari.
“With Fernando Alonso, they would be two really powerful drivers. I
thought Fangio and me were a pretty good pairing. Of course, I don’t know
whether Alonso would have wanted him there. But that’s what I would have
done.”
Of the week’s other major talking point, the announcement that Michael
Schumacher is to retire again at the end of the season, Moss said the German
should never have come back in the first place.
“I’m not Michael’s greatest fan. I just don’t think he was such a great
driver. A great driver, someone who won seven world titles, would have been
able to see off a driver like [Nico] Rosberg without any problem. Michael
couldn’t. He was bloody good, no doubt about it, but he wasn’t great.
“Was he good for the sport? With one hat on I would say yes. He brought
Ferrari back to the forefront and provided a lot of publicity. But with my
other hat on I would say he was certainly a tainted champion.”
Told that Schumacher said this week that if he had had his time again he would
have “done things differently”, Moss said: “That just proves he’s not a
bloody fool. He is thinking of his reputation.”
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel claimed pole for Sunday’s race, due to start at
7am UK time. It was the 34th pole of the German’s career, lifting him to
third in the all-time standings behind Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
McLaren’s Jenson Button starts eighth after a five-place grid penalty while
his team-mate Hamilton’s dwindling title hopes received another blow as he
could only qualify in ninth.