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The now infamous Hamilton/Horner meeting is an example of "if a rumor is repeated enough it becomes fact"

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Alonso's status according to you, i'm not even an Alonso supporter.

Vettel is a top tier driver, but beating Webber season after season and basically having the best car this past 3 seasons is not evidence that he is better than either Alonso or Hamilton, likewise there's no evidence he is worse, his career may well now be structured like his mentor where he has a long and succesful career alongside second tier drivers.

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Google it and you will find all the evidence you need

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Why would Hamilton have gotten a meeting set up through a girl in a canteen when Fuller admitted himself he spoke to RBR?

Fuller must be a piss poor manager if he needs meeting set up through the cooking staff.

As for the Canada "Meeting" people forget drivers visit other teams all the time. Sometimes it is actually as innocent as liking the other teams coffee brand more. Hell with some of the professional Chefs on board some of the teams I would do a tour over the weekends to test out the cuisine. Maybe Lewis just fancied a tin of Red bull.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

I doubt his manager was even in Canada and Hamilton is well known for being over impulsive and doing daft things, i'm surprised i thought this was well known

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Even Hamilton wouldn't be thick enough to organise a meeting with a TP to talk seats through a canteen girl.

As he said himself this year. He doesn't worry about such things. He pays people to do it for him.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Bull. He had much detractors back then, now it's only the rabit haters that claim he isn't one of the best.
Come on, are you seriously going to pretend that there weren't a lot of people talking about Alonso being lucky and Raikkonen being unfortunate in 2005? And it's not like the 2006 Renault was a bad car.

Also, you forgot to answer:


If you're going to be as arrogant as to saying I "must have been asleep", you really should follow through when being asked about it.

Save us the trouble and just post the quote from Lewis or Christian confirming the rumor.

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Call this! In bold, large font! If the op has proof then great, can he show it please?
I apologise in advance but if not then i'm going to be using abusive language, sounds untrue to me! You have already had the apology here: I'm sorry , now prove it!

I'm new to the forum and don't know how to post links, however its quite easy to find Whitmarsh confirming that Hamilton had a meeting with Horner in the Red Bull motorhome, Hamilton himself never spoke about what the meeting was about

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You really cannot answer the question "how good is Vettel" until he and his main contenders have all retired.

I definitely disagree that Alonso or Hamilton have somehow proven they are at a higher level of driving than Sebastian. At the moment, the opposite appears to be true, despite the fact that Lewis and Fernando have more experience. But again, you really cannot judge until you can take a look at their entire career as a whole.

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Links are simple, copy and paste.

Yes everyone knows he went to the motorhome.

It's the "Meeting set up by the dinner lady" story. Drivers going into other teams motorhomes is no biggie. Some drivers have been known to do it simply because they like the other teams brand of Coffee.

When Hamilton had signed fuller to be his manager, do you really think he would have went job hunting in plain view rather than actually get the guy he pays to do it to actually do it through the proper channels?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Some people might say you don't know how good he is until he and his rivals have retired etc yawn yawn. Simple really you can't be a 3 time champ by fluke, if you have the best car you still have to deliver the results which he has done so for 3 years.

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Well it was said it was done in anger due to Hamilton only having qualified 5th at a track he normally qualifies on pole and expected to do so again, a wrong direction on set up not helping, he's known to do such things without thinking things through, tweetgate would be another example. Anyways did not his management team contact Red Bull 12 months later about the possibility of a drive?

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I would simply say i'll wait and see how he stacks up against other drivers than Webber, drivers with a proven F1 track record

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You got to remember at that time it was a good story and it's not totally unknown for the press to ham things up for dramatic effect to sell a few papers .

Unless someone was in the room at the time comes forward and says so, the truth is none of us will ever know (And neither will the press) what the meeting was about.

F1 is a weird place. All motorsports are. In one hand it's all cloak and daggers and full of secrets. In the other it's a big travelling circus where loads are close mates across rival teams. Lots of these guys have known each other for decades. Crossing paths in various capacities over the years. Unless there is a story to be sold you just don't hear about even half of the meetings because they are just innocuous meetings. Once in a while one comes along that can be turned into a drama and before you know it's all this and that.

For example, Lewis and Horner would have likely known each other GP2 where Lewis raced against the team Horner owns.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

"ham things up"

i'll say!

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Of course there was a lot of speculation, but it was considered an unusual event and neither let it transpire what it was about.

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Ok i'll go with that

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Why was it unusual?

Because two blokes that have known each other years had a conversation where no one knows what was said ?
Or
Because the papers told you it was?






I was wondering if anyone would notice that one

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

My f1 friends and I use ham/hammy/lewis as both a verb and adjective relating to making things dramatic, and by things I mean totally unrelated-to-racing things.

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Well how often does Hamilton actually have meetings with Horner, and how friendly are they, just because you work in the same industry doesn't mean they have that much contact with one another?

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That's the thing WE don't know and I dare say the press don't either.

It happened once we know of and the papers made a meal of it. But we do know it's not the first time Lewis has been seen with a TP.


As for not having much contact with each other. It would surprise you how much contact all the various team members have. Even down to the pit crews hanging out with each other.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Lewis just needed a couple of cases of Red Bull for one of his hotel parties sans-Nicole and didn't want to be seen buying it (bad for business). Or he wanted advice on buying an Airdale puppy, or how to rock a pink shirt without looking a bit too Nico Rosberg if you know what I mean. Perhaps he wanted to recruit some RB involvement in UNICEF, or he wanted to get his bro a ride at Arden. Maybe Christian is the paddock drug hook up (I mean, come on...have you seen that jiggling foot?).

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Funnily enough I was thinking that. IIRC Nick had been doing the clio for a few months. My thinking was Lewis was looking at what would be needed/if it could be done to have a car adapted to him to let him have a go in a single seater.

Also would that be classed as something private enough neither of the two would want to talk public about it?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

I dont know that it would be a question of privacy but more an issue that it looks bad for him to be shopping outside the vodafone/merc/mclaren family. Clio Cup/Renault relationship is certainly something though, and its the sort of thing where it means a lot more to have Lewis inquire, even just personally between him and his bro, than to send management in first to open up the discussion. He's a family man, I could see him doing it.

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Google it?
You Google it and post the link, it's easy you just look for the URL icon above where your typing when you reply to a post reply to /\ this post

Indeed!
You had the apology, Can i have it back please? Because You are full of **it!

what?

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He had a meeting with Horner so i don't know what you mean unless you're one of those thats saying this wasn't true?

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Believe everyone, or me at least, is asking for proof that the meeting was about a seat for Lewis. Not that they spoke.

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And that it was organised by the Dinner Lady.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

Sorry if it wasn't clear ashley, I'm asking for exactly the same as you
Pokerman was spouting off about dinner ladies....
I call it, as you do in poker, like playing cards, show your hand...fess up and put your money where your mouth is dude!!!

So lets see the link please pokerman!
Edited to remove some childish name calling and/or comments!

I don't think there is proof of what the conversation was about. However, there are dozens of pictures of drivers talking to team principals from other teams, there is nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was the way it was reported -

A) Lewis shows up unexpected at RBR and asks to see Christian and they had a short talk - that was the gist of it.
B) Then Lewis won't speak about it (except to say he spoke to him about a private matter Saturday) and Christian says that he is not going to discuss what they spoke about (except to say that they spoke on Saturday).
C) When pressed Christian says Lewis asked for a couple of Red Bulls because everyone loves the drink.
D) Then Christian is asked if RBR would hire Lewis as a driver and Christian responds that anyone would be crazy not to consider Lewis, because he is so talented.
F) Then there is talk of Mark retiring and talk of Mark speaking with other teams.
G) So the press hottens up and returns to Christian to ask again about Lewis at RBR
H) Christian now says that he thinks it would be difficult to have two drivers of Seb and Lewis' caliber in the team.
I) Lewis speaks for the first time and remarks that Sebastian must have vetoed him as a teammate, and that is why Christian made the flipflopping statements (in D & H).

So you make of it what you will. Me? I figure Lewis marched in there and asked for a seat and the idea was vetoed ultimately by Didi.

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When did Lewis say Seb veto'd him?


One it's the first time I have heard it.

Two was it after Canada or After Fuller went to RBR


Three if RBR turned Lewis down point blank in Canada why did Fuller go back and ask again?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

I'm somewhere between

- Is roughly at level with Hamilton and Alonso
and
- Is good, but a step below the otther two

If I was to call out a top "group" I would include all three.
If I was to list the drivers in order it would be 1. Alonso 2. Hamilton 3. Vettel. And I'm putting a step between each of them. I don't see them as equal.

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"I am a believer, but I start each Grand Prix with 195 liters of fuel behind me," he explains. "I don't rely entirely on God, I rely on Prost."

Fair enough at least there is acceptance that they actually met now, neither would discuss what they were talking about so it was speculation, of course Hamilton was so happy at McLaren he left as soon as his contract was up.

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I found this article from the Daily Telegraph which i believe to be a respectible newspaper

"The two spent around 15 minutes chatting and even though it was described as “a social visit” Hamilton’s unusual behaviour will inevitably lead to speculation as to his intentions as well as his mind set.

It is understood that Hamilton arrived unannounced and asked one of the catering staff to fetch Horner.

Bearing in mind that, had he wanted to talk to Horner he could easily have rung him in private, it is safe to assume that Hamilton wanted the world, and more specifically his McLaren team, to know about his visit.

So what prompted it? Hamilton, whose contract expires at the end of 2012, may have been trying to exert pressure on McLaren, using Red Bull as leverage in forthcoming contract negotiations.

It is understood that Simon Fuller, whose XIX Entertainment company was taken on by Hamilton prior to the start of the season, will be in the UK over the summer and that negotiations will begin then. Up for negotiation will be his basic salary, which is expected to rise sharply from the current estimated £15 million a year, but an even bigger bone of contention will be his PR and sponsorship rights".

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Well isn't asking someone who was a bout to go get Horner a wee bit different than the previous claim of it being set up through someone he knew who worked in the RBR kitchen?

As for what prompted it? Who knows because we still don't know it was about a drive.


Talking to a team in 2011 about 2013 would hardly be exerting pressure. If anything the reply of "No" when Bona Fide talks did happens reduced the pressure on Macca.

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."

I think you're just nitpicking over the wording, even changing my wording like calling the woman a dinner lady for better affect maybe?

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Your original wording.


Now did he get someone he knew from RBRs Canteen to set up a meeting or did he just walk into RBR Hospitality and ask someone if he could speak to Horner and the Canteen lady was just the 1st person on the scene?

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Disclaimer: The above post maybe tongue in cheek.

"I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual."