• McLaren news

Hamilton says Vettel partnership is possible

Lewis Hamilton says his relationship with Jenson Button is proof that world champions can drive for the same team. © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren
• |
• Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton has said that it would be possible for him to drive for the same team as Sebastian Vettel.

Amid speculation about Hamilton's future with McLaren, Red Bull's Christian Horner said he felt that he could not be paired with Vettel as it would lead to "fireworks". But Hamilton pointed to his debut season alongside Fernando Alonso as proof that such a partnership was feasible.

"Fernando and I were very competitive," Hamilton said. "Look at me and Jenson [Button]. World champions can race together as long as there is quality in the team. In this team, when Jenson beats me I take it on the chin and think, 'Next time I am going to beat him.' When I beat him, he doesn't whinge and say: 'Oh, Lewis has a better car than me or Lewis did this and I did that.'.

A partnership can work as long as a team exists to win a constructors' championship and for the drivers' championship. With our team being a manufacturer, it means equally as much to them to win the constructors' as it does the drivers'. I don't know if that's the same for them [Red Bull]. It doesn't necessarily affect them because they're not a car company, but I think it [working with Vettel] is possible."

Rumours that Red Bull would make a move for Hamilton arose after McLaren had a poor pre-season, and have still not abated despite the team being more competitive than expected. Hamilton said he wouldn't be looking to leave early, but admitted he couldn't predict where his future lay.

"I'm contracted for the next two years and I'm committed to that, but it doesn't mean I can't promise anything. I am focused on my job now and I want to win world championships here, and I hope that continues, but you never know what happens in the future." With the speculation ongoing, Hamilton said it was not a distraction, and that he was looking at the advantages of the situation.

"It's not frustrating. Whatever you are faced with you have to try and turn into positives. The positive thing is I'm being talked about, and that's a great thing, which means I'm not forgotten. Another positive is that potentially other teams are interested in me, as well as my own team, which hopefully makes my team hungrier for me. But it doesn't distract us, and I've made that clear to [Martin Whitmarsh]."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.