McLaren 'very hopeful' of keeping Hamilton

F1 News
Date: 7/July/2011

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes managing director Jonathan Neale is 'very hopeful' that Lewis Hamilton will remain with the team beyond the end of his present contract.

Hamilton, a McLaren driver since his 2007 F1 debut and supported by the Woking-based squad for almost 15 years, has a burning desire to win more than a single world title.

That championship came under dramatic circumstances in 2008, but Hamilton has only won six races since, prompting speculation that he could break his McLaren ties and join the dominant Red Bull team.

The hard-charging Briton has given somewhat mixed messages about his intentions, often speaking of wanting to spend his entire career with McLaren - then adding the caveat 'so long as I have a competitive car'.

Hamilton's present five-year contract with McLaren isn’t due to expire until the end of next season, but there have been reports that a get-out clause would allow the 26-year-old to leave at the end of this year.

"I don’t want to be unduly dismissive of the press but we are entering the silly season for drivers. There has been a lot of speculation about it," said Neale of the Hamilton-Red Bull rumours.

"Of course I’m contractually bound not to disclose any of the contractual content or issues in that, but we are on record as saying that we would like Lewis to stay and be a part of the team.

"He’s a fantastic competitor and we love working with him. He’s also said that he wants to stay here with the team and I’m very hopeful that that’s the way it washes out.

"In terms of how [the speculation] affects the rest of the team, Lewis, Jenson [Button], Pedro [de la Rosa, test driver] and the guys are all here at the factory, they eat with us, we climb in and out of cars and talk to each other and there is no difference.

"These guys are fighting very hard and they have got the full force of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes behind them. We want to see them on the podium. The future is the future. Right now they're here with us and we love working with these guys."

Button, the shock 2009 world champion with Brawn GP, has been Hamilton's team-mate for the past two years. McLaren are expected to take up an option on Button for 2012.