Brawn’s words seemed calculated to answer some of the question marks swirling
around Hamilton’s mooted move to Mercedes; namely, that by choosing them
over McLaren
the Briton would be taking a huge punt on a team who have failed to live up
to expectations, with just one win in 50 races.
He said that Mercedes were committed to Formula One and were “very close” to
signing the new Concorde Agreement; he insisted that, contrary to rumours,
he would not be walking out on the team before the next sea change in the
regulations in 2014, when the new 1.6l V6 turbo is due to be introduced; and
he pointed out that Mercedes, as one of the three manufacturers developing
that engine, would be one of the best places to be when that happened.
Brawn also suggested that money would not be an issue. Asked whether it was
true that Mercedes were one of the lowest paying teams on the grid, he
replied: “We are not here to waste money. But we take a balanced view on
what is needed to be successful. Any team with a great technical package and
poor drivers is not going to succeed and any team with great drivers and a
poor technical package is not going to succeed – you have to find the right
balance.
“Coming to a conclusion on our driver situation will take some time.We have
some way to go.”
It is believed that Mercedes may be waiting for Hamilton’s answer before
making a decision on Schumacher – and it would be the 43 year-old making way
rather than Rosberg as has been suggested in some quarters. Brawn confirmed
that Rosberg would be driving for the team next year.
And he added fuel to another rumour that he could envisage some sort of role
“upstairs” for the most successful driver in Formula One history. “We are
discussing things with Michael and there is no panic in those discussions,”
Brawn said. “Michael has a huge amount to offer. With these technical
changes we face, someone of Michael’s experience and calibre would be a
great asset.”
Ultimately, Mercedes’ pursuit of Hamilton may prove futile. The McLaren driver
not only repeated on Thursday that he remained in “advanced negotiations”
over a contract renewal, he also made a fairly robust defence of his
relationship with a team who first signed him as a 13 year-old, describing
their bond as “special”. Whether that will be enough to convince him to stay
remains unclear. Mercedes have laid their cards on the table.