Lewis Hamilton has stated that he could return to McLaren in the future, as the 2008 World Champion prepares to leave the Woking-based outfit for Mercedes next season. After 110 Grands Prix with the outfit, which included 21 race victories, the Briton is poised to embark upon a career with Mercedes in 2013.
Despite many believing the Briton is already feeling regrets about his decision to leave McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has remained adamant he is looking forward to his debut with Mercedes next season. Although the German marque suffered a highly uncompetitive end to the 2012 season, both team principal Ross Brawn and Lewis Hamilton are confident of success from the opening round at Australia.
"No, I’m really, really happy about it [his move to Mercedes].” Enthused Lewis Hamilton, “You can’t live with regrets in your life. You have to make a decision and stick with it. Whether it’s right or wrong, you just have to make the most of it, stick to your guns and hope you can turn it around or turn it into a positive."
However, Lewis Hamilton has refused to rule out a possible return to the Woking-based outfit in the future. Prior to the end of the season, Martin Whitmarsh jokingly stated that he hoped the Briton’s move to Mercedes was a “gap year”, and that he would one day return to McLaren. Lewis Hamilton himself has likened his move to “leaving home”, however with McLaren signing Sergio Perez as his replacement, a potential return might not be possible.
"You can never say never and I’ve had a great time," explained Lewis Hamilton. "I think it will always be my home. I’ll always look at it as where I’ve come from. Going back there would be nice one day. But I want to go and experience some things for a bit. It’s almost like leaving home and going traveling for a bit. But I’m doing it with a different company."
Lewis Hamilton will most certainly be hoping that the German marque has improved over the winter period, as both he and team-mate Nico Rosberg aim to begin 2013 with instant competitiveness. Throughout the final six races of the 2012 season, Mercedes could only manage six points at the hands of Michael Schumacher who finished 7th at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Such uncompetitiveness could be detrimental to the outfit, should it be transferred to 2013.
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