Hamilton says future Formula 1 contract demands to shock McLaren team

‎Even as he finishes 4th at the 2011 Britain - Formula 1 race result Lewis Hamilton has revealed he will demand a less arduous off track schedule when he negotiates a new Formula One contract with McLaren.

The 2008 World Champion's current deal includes 2012, but it emerged last week that a success related break clause could open the door for a switch to Red Bull.

However, Christian Horner on Saturday estimated the chance of a Sebastian Vettel/Hamilton line-up next year as "slim to nil", at the same time as a frustrated Hamilton was publicly laying out his demands for a new deal at McLaren.

"When I re-sign the contract with McLaren they are going to be shocked at how many days they are not going to be able to make me do," Hamilton told reporters after qualifying tenth near the end of a demanding pre-Silverstone media and sponsor schedule.

"I will be doing a lot less work. There is definitely a danger of burn-out," said the Briton.

Hamilton, who has had a poor run of results and been the subject of intense speculation as well as criticism recently, admitted he is looking forward to Formula 1's August break.

"It is nice to know I have got that coming up," said the 26 year old, admitting he feels "older" than 30. "Am I tired?  Um, maybe. Have I trained?  No, never trained for the past two weeks.

"But what's important is that the sponsors are happy," he quipped.

The comments mean McLaren's PR machine might need to roll out again in the wake of the Santander Formula 1 British Grand Prix, particularly as Hamilton has reverted to pessimism about his chances of success.

"I think we might have run out of miracles," said the Briton. "I think I drove the car as well as I could. It's going to be a long, long season."

Even his McLaren crew did not escape criticism.

"It was a poor performance," said Hamilton after qualifying tenth. "I can't see the weather forecast from inside my car but I kept asking my guy 'What's the weather doing?'

"Everyone else went out on new tyres, while I was out on old ones."

But even team boss Martin Whitmarsh admitted that the championship is no longer the main focus.

"To say we are concentrating on winning championships would be the wrong focus. We have to concentrate on winning races again," he said.

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Range Rover Sports.

THE Range Rover is one of the great British success stories.
As one of the great icons of modern times it’s a vehicle that is much feted - and much bought, writes Rob Auchterlonie..
And you don’t have to be an overpaid footballer or have blonde hair and a pair of Gucci sunglasses parked on the top of your head to own one.
You only have to glance at your average queue of traffic to see how popular the Range Rover Sport is. They’re everywhere, the discerning choice of motorists who want to buy British because in this instance British is tub-thumpingly best.
It’s been praised the world over and if you think you’re going to read anything other than that here then you’re mistaken.
Of course, it’s not faultless. You can look at any car and there will always be something that doesn’t quite ring true.
But the sum of the overall parts usually far outweighs any minus points. And that’s very definitely the case with Solihull’s finest.
For something capable of tackling terrain slightly more rugged than the A421 it’s a supremely comfortable vehicle. So much so that you could almost forgive George Michael dozing off behind the wheel. Actually, no you can’t. No one should be in charge of any form of motorised transport when they’re completely gazeboed on drugs or anything else. Not the sort of publicity Land Rover relish – they prefer the good stuff, like the announcement that the factories are safe, thousands of new jobs are to be created and that there’s widespread anticipation of the arrival of the baby Rangie, the new Evoque.
The Sport is the slightly stockier and snappier version of the full blown Range Rover, and while it might not quite appear to have the full blown ‘drive through the jungle’ credentials of its stablemates, there’s still a healthy 227mm of obstacle clearance and a 700mm wading depth when the river bank bursts. Or put another way, if you’re vertically challenged you’re going to need a hand up into the passenger seats.
From where you’ll be wafted to your destination amidst a classy mix of leather, wood, aluminium and a top notch sound system.
For the person in control (we won’t call him George in this instance) there are more buttons than on a big girl’s blouse when it comes to piloting the Sport, offering a setting for just about every conceivable road condition you might encounter.
Of course, a large number of owners will glance at them, panic and then reach forward to the touch screen to select their favourite music or the sat nav.
But it’s reassuring to know that there’s not a lot that can stop you reaching your destination in a Range Rover.
And when it comes to off road use, Land Rover sets the standard for others to follow, so on the latest models you get Hill Start Assist, which stops the car rolling backwards, and Gradient Acceleration Control.
There are two diesel engines to choose from, with either 211ps (520Nm) or 245ps (600Nm), both units being pretty refined and responsive when called upon. Throttle response is impressively quick and for a big vehicle the Sport still displays impressive on road poise.
This chunky car comes with an equally chunky key but you don’t need it – start up is via a push button on the dash. You just need to keep it in your pocket, or on the restaurant dining table for maximum impact.

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