“It [the DNF] made no difference,” he said. “I had kind of already had the
feeling a few days before but it stuck with me and this time I didn’t have
any swinging back.
“Then I got to Thailand and it was incredibly peaceful and I just sat by the
pool and thought for several hours.
“It was important to do it on my terms. I wasn’t gong to be pushed and rushed,
although there was a lot of pressure.
“Martin [Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal] had been asking me when I was
going to do a deal since China last year. I had a couple of deadlines, I
didn’t meet any one of them. It was really, really tough but once I made the
decision I was so much more relaxed.”
Whether he will remain so relaxed at Suzuka this weekend remains to be seen.
The dynamic within the McLaren garage for the final six races of this season
is going to be fascinating to observe, as they strive to win both
championships while having an outlaw for an in-law.
Hamilton said he did not anticipate any issues. “At the end of the day, my
mechanics will be upset because they have worked their asses off for me, but
at some stage they might decide to go and work for another team,” he pointed
out.
Dennis is another issue. Does he feel betrayed by his former protégé? “I don’t
know, you will have to ask Ron,” Hamilton said. “When I spoke to Martin I
said that the plan was not to burn bridges. I don’t feel as though I am
going out of McLaren through the back door. I am going out the front door,
happily.
“The way I look at it is that I am walking over that bridge and down a
different path. If that path brings me back, who knows? I think I will
always have McLaren in my heart.”
Hamilton, who grew in confidence as the interview wore on, ended by trying to
explain the rationale behind his decision, presumably a similar explanation
to the one he gave Whitmarsh when he plucked up the courage to make the
“hardest call” of his life last Wednesday.
“I could have stayed and it would have been easy,” he said. “There was no
unrest with McLaren. They are an incredible team. They have the best
facilities by far. The factory is untouchable and it will get even better
because they are building the new wind tunnel at some stage. They have got
incredibly intelligent people. They’ve got everything, really, so in fact
they should be winning more.
“I had two offers on the table which were very, very similar. One had slightly
fewer [PR] days but it was not about the offer. Martin asked me what more
they could have done. I said, ‘To be honest, Martin, it is about the
challenge. It is a step that I want to make.’
“I don’t know what is going to happen. I just know that everyone has to
experience these things, working with new people and in new environments.
“That is just part of growing up. It’s my last step of independence I guess.
“It wasn’t about Ross [Brawn, Mercedes team principal]. It wasn’t about Niki
[Lauda, Mercedes-Benz vice-chairman]. It was about Mercedes, a team which
has not been that successful over the last couple of years.
“I know some of the greats have gone from a great car to not such a great car
and have helped to develop a winning team. Michael [Schumacher], for
instance, went from being a world champion to Ferrari. We haven’t really got
any other driver in Formula One who is known for that. I hope that one day
someone can say that about me.”