Formula one

[JB400]

Don't know if anyone else follows F! or not.  Found out Lewis Hamilton is leaving McLaren AMG and is going to replace Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes.  Personally, I find it stupid.  Why in the heck would you want to leave a 1st rate team?  He's had 20 wins in less than 3 years.  Whatever makes him happy I guess.

[Ghoste]

Money?

[JB400]

Money?

I think there was a mention that he wanted to develop himself off the track as a brand.  Kinda like Michael Jordon has done with himself.

[Ghoste]

That was pretty much what I was thinking.

[Ponch ®]

Why in the heck would you want to leave a 1st rate team? 

because F1 dominance is cyclical. Today's first team is next year's mid-packer. Just look at the past 5 years or so  - pretty much a different team dominates every year: Ferrari, Renaul, McLaren, Sauber, Red Bull, and so on. He might as well play the odds and take the money.

[aussiemuscle]

given m.shoey is in 12 position, mercedes are looking for a better driver. Also mclaren are not the top team atm, it's red bull 
http://www.formula1.com/results/team/

[JB400]

Schumacher should have stayed retired.  Comebacks rarely don't work out to well.

[Ghoste]

Superstardom is one of the toughest drugs to kick though.

[JB400]

Superstardom is one of the toughest drugs to kick though.

The guy could have done a few limited edition Ferraris and made a buck or two.  I hear Ferrari test drivers make more than $1.95.

[Ghoste]

It's not so much about the money as the adulation and the feeling of being the biggest badass on the block.

[JB400]

It's not so much about the money as the adulation and the feeling of being the biggest badass on the block.

He retired at his peek. He was the biggest badass. Like I meant to say, he could have been a test driver for Ferrari and still had it easy for the rest of his life.  There is rumor he might go back, replacing Masa.
Hamilton should have stayed with McLaren.  He was getting close to being as big as Shumacher.  Best of luck to him at Mercedes.

[Ghoste]

Yes, he could have but its not the same as standing on the podium and having everyone cheer you like a rock star and the worlds hottest women throwing themselves at and all of your peers resenting their second place-ness.  Its why boxers try one more fight, rock bands reunite in their 50's, hockey players lace up in their late 30's.  The list goes on and on.  It isn't about the money or taking it easy or having it made, it's about being a celebrity.

[JB400]

I think the proper term is reliving the "glory" days.

[Fred]

Exactly. It's an addiction.  Once you've had a dose of it it's hard to break free. It feeds your ego and I think he's like all the rest of them, is pretty big.

[JB400]

Here comes the problem of reliving the glory days.  If you aren't as good as you were, you become a decrepid old hasbeen.  And this part of your career tarnishes all of the accomplishments of your career.  I think it is actually better to quit while you are at your peak.  Then, you can get a side career that relates to your old career.  Every once and awhile, get back in to make an appearance, and get the old thrill.  Do that, and your still at your peak.  No one is going to criticize you if you don't succeed at your old career.
I feel the same way about staying in it too long.  If you stay in too long and don't live up to the younger you, you'll tarnish your career.  It will be that way until you quit, and go to a side career.  Look at Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip.  Once they both got over their peaks, they went downhill.  It wasn't until Petty became car owner and Darrell became broadcaster, that they became stars again.
Schumacher should have stayed retired.  Became a test driver or broadcaster.  This Mercedes ride was a joke to his career.  Hopefully, he'll see that soon before it's too late.

[Fred]

I completely agree. He retired on a high and I remember thinking how clever he was to do so and that he would always be held in high esteem. 
And then he spoilt it all.  And now he's just another hasbeen.

[JB400]

Well, Schumacher is hanging up his helmet again.  We'll see how long that lasts.  Glad to see Massa do better this weekend.  About time Ferrari rallies around him and puts him back in contention.  Nothing wrong with Alonso, but Ferrari has been playing favorites ever since Massa got back in the car.

[Ghoste]

Ferrari has always done that.

[JB400]

I know, if they'd concentrate on both cars, they could be up there with Mclaren and Red Bull.  It's always which driver is doing better that gets the attention.

I'm curious as to what they have going on next year.  They're shutting down their windtunnel for "calibration".  They have something up their sleeves.

[Ghoste]

I rarely try to armchair their decisions.  I don't always understand what they are up to but over the course of their existence, their track record has come to pretty much speak for itself.

[JB400]

Whatever works, works.  No sense in arguing with success, no matter how they do it.

[Ghoste]

Truth be told, in spite of the number of unbelievable Ferraris that I encounter in the course of a year, I still find it a little satisfying when the powerhouse is knocked down at the track.  They always seem to come back but its good for the series to have other teams kick their ass once in a while.

[JB400]

Yeah, for quite a while, they dominated.  Then McLaren stepped up, and now Red Bull has done so as well the last 2 years.  I still route for Ferrari.  More for Massa than anything.

[JB400]

Well, Red Bull one two.  I think Massa could have got up there if Ferarri would have let him pass Alonso.

[Fred]

Just saw it live. Good win.