JUNE 22, 2006

Why would McLaren sign Hamilton right now?

McLaren has no need to sign Lewis Hamilton just yet, indeed there is much to said for not making any move until at least September by which time Hamilton will have finished off his GP2 campaign, his priority this year.

McLaren has no need to sign Lewis Hamilton just yet, indeed there is much to said for not making any move until at least September by which time Hamilton will have finished off his GP2 campaign, his priority this year. Signing him up before that point would almost certainly switch Hamilton's focus as he would no longer really need to win the title to get himself into F1. That is something that McLaren would want to avoid and indeed it might even be wiser to tell Hamilton that he will only get the drive if he wins the title. A decision by September would give the team plenty of time to allow Hamilton to get many miles of testing over the winter months and so be fully prepared to go racing at the start of last year. We have seen in the past that if a driver has the ability necessary and enough testing he can achieve great things right from the start of his career. Jacques Villeneuve showed that in dramatic fashion back in 1996 and more recently Nico Rosberg did a good job in his early races for Williams.