The 2008 world champion, whose retirement from the lead in Sunday’s Singapore
Grand Prix saw him fall 52 points behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in
the drivers’ championship, is weighing up offers from both McLaren and Mercedes,
even though the latter’s owners Daimler have not yet committed
publicly to Ecclestone’s new commercial deal.
McLaren have offered Hamilton a reduction in his current salary, which is
estimated at £15million per year, although they are thought to have improved
their offer in recent weeks.
Mercedes, meanwhile, are thought to have matched Hamilton’s salary with
various performance-related incentives.
Ecclestone told ESPN on Monday that, as far as he understood it, Hamilton had
made up his mind to leave McLaren a few weeks ago but that he was less sure
now.
“I don’t think Hamilton knows what he will do,” said Formula One’s chief
executive. “These last couple or three races he has been doing very
well. Before that, why he was upset I don’t know, but he was definitely
going to move no matter what.
“He had made up his mind that he was going. Whether he has changed now a little
bit I don’t know.”
That is what McLaren appear to believe. Team principal Martin Whitmarsh was
noticeably bullish over the Singapore weekend, even after Hamilton’s
retirement.
“I think we’re a good team together,” he said. “We don’t
always get it right but Lewis is doing a great job in the team at the
moment. We’ll see what we can do. I’m not going to make any
predictions.”
“We are inevitably disappointed but we are a strong team,” Whitmarsh added,
“We are seeing a stronger, more resolute Lewis than we have seen for a
while and he will bounce back and be strong in Japan.
“Lewis will not give up and neither will we.”
Whitmarsh also hinted after the race that Button might start to sacrifice his
own title hopes to help Hamilton.
“Jenson has had a conversation with me, he initiated it,” Whitmarsh said.
“He is an immensely competitive individual, but he’s a team player.
“Things that happen in the future will come from within him. I’ll never
ask and I don’t want to ask. If he chooses to do something in the best
interests of the team, that’s up to him.”
Button said he felt the title was a “long shot” for his team-mate.
“It’s hard for anyone [to catch Alonso] except Seb at the moment,” Button
said. “It’s between those two but there’s still a lot of people with a
long shot. That’s what we’re all going to go for.”