I’ll take on anybody says Hamilton

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Date: 19th December 2016 at 9:20am
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Lewis Hamilton will be racing alongside his fifth different team-mate in Formula One in 2017.

He made his debut in Formula One in 2007 racing for McLaren Mercedes alongside double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Their inter-team duel threatened to rip the team apart, not only on track where both drivers had a chance to win the Formula One World Championship only for Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen to take the title, but also off track with the spygate scandal.

Alonso would leave after just one season and was replaced by Heikki Kovalainen for two seasons and then by Jenson Button for three years.

At Mercedes, Hamilton has been paired with Nico Rosberg for four years and whilst the duel never reached Alonso heights, it proved at times to be a difficult situation for the corporate Mercedes team to handle.

Overall Hamilton has always had the edge on all of his team-mates and in 2017 he will have a new inter-team battle.

So who would Hamilton prefer? A young up-and-coming driver like Pascal Wehrlein? A solid consistent driver who is unlikely to rock the boat in the form of Valtteri Bottas? Or perhaps even a super star signing like Fernando Alonso from McLaren or Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari?

?It?s important who we have in the second car, It?s important for the team?s morale. We?ve seen in other teams and times [that] it can be a poisonous effect on a team, the arch-rivalry between drivers.

He continued: ‘I?ll drive against every single driver you want? Ultimately when they decide, which is their decision, they can put any driver.

‘Bring Fernando [Alonso], bring Sebastian [Vettel], bring whoever you really want. I drove against Fernando in my first year and beat him, so that?s not a worry for me. I?m happy to drive against any of them. But in terms of what?s best for the team ? probably not the best idea.? Hamilton told Channel 4 as quoted by motorsport.com.

Hamilton also confirmed that Mercedes will discuss who his next team-mate will be with the Brit once a shortlist is produced.

?Contractually what they have to do, basically, once they have dwindled it down to five drivers, or whatever it is, the shortlist, contractually they have to discuss with me. But I don?t have a say [in] who it is.?