London: Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has expressed hope that he will have the chance to say a proper goodbye to his McLaren team after being forced to cancel an evening out that he had organized for staff in Japan last weekend.
In keeping with previous years, Hamilton had booked a bowling alley in Suzuka for the Saturday night of the Japanese Grand Prix, where he had intended to say a few words about his impending departure, but was forced to cancel when several members of the team chose to attend a charity track run with McLaren team-mate Jenson Button instead.
“I booked 16 lanes at the bowling alley for Saturday night, but something else came up so the guys weren’t able to do it. They were already committed before. They went for a run with JB or something like that,” The Telegraph quoted Hamilton, as saying.
According to the paper, McLaren stressed there was no suggestion that team members had purposely avoided the evening, adding that they would happily have gone bowling had they not already committed to the run with Button.
Hamilton has still not spoken to McLaren’s executive chairman Ron Dennis, the man who signed him for McLaren at the age of 13. But the 27 year-old is confident he will have the chance to iron things out with everyone before the end of the year.
“I am sure at one stage, probably back at the factory, I will get a chance. I’m pretty sure I will be able to. A lot of drivers [at McLaren] have come and gone – just left. But it’s different for me. I have a good relationship with these people. I did my work experience here [at McLaren’s headquarters in Woking] when I was at school,” he said.
“It was fantastic and where I built a great bond with a lot of people who are still there today. I will try but of course there will be people who are happy I am going, some who are unhappy I am going. Some who will be sad, some who will be supportive, that’s how things are,” he added.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, October 14, 2012, 15:03