As for Lewis, several reports following this announcement hinted that either BBC pundit and former Grand Prix racer Martin Brundle or former double-champ Mika Hakkinen could become the 2008 champion's manager from now on. That did not take place however, as the 25-year old Briton is still managed by the McLaren Mercedes team, and admitted he is in no hurry to name a new manager.
“Honestly, I have received a lot of applications but I'm not in a hurry to decide. I am with a fantastic team, with many competent people, so at the moment I have no need for a manager,” said Hamilton in an interview with Formula One's official site.
Present alongside Hamilton during the interview, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone insisted that Hamilton doesn't need a manager anyway, as he is mature enough to handle his own contracts in the series.
“A driver doesn't need a manager. Gerhard Berger is the prime example of that. He managed himself and was making more money than anybody else at the time he was racing,” said Ecclestone.
Sebastian Vettel, another highly ranked young driver of Formula One, also admitted in recent interviews that he doesn't have a manager to take care of his career, as all negotiations with the team officials so far (BMW, Toro Rosso and Red Bull) have been carried out by himself.
“People say 'oh, you need a manager to get you into adverts or to make you more money'. But I'm fine. I want to make my own decisions,” said Vettel.
Google News