Lewis Hamilton at just 23 years of age, is made for life after the signing of a five year contract with Mercedes McLaren worth £50 million as a reward for impressive first year in Formula 1.
Anthony Davidson has also just completed his first full year driving but has a salary of £150,000 a year, very modest by Formula 1 standards.
Hamilton is said to be staying in a luxurious Australian retreat contemplating the start of the season next weekend while Davidson will be flying economy to Melbourne with no guarantee if he will be driving at all.
Davidson, is one of the driver’s of the Super Aguri team which are in extreme financial difficulties and have only managed to test through the winter for 4 out of the 38 allocated days. The number of staff with the team has also had to be cut through redundancies and voluntary retirement, leaving a team of just 80 people
Apparently, both of the Super Aguri cars have been put aboard the cargo flight on Friday after much speculation as to whether they would even leave the teams headquarters.
The rumours are still circulating of a rescue package supposedly by a British consortium that is about to be finalised and hopefully get the team back on track for the season.
Unlike Hamilton, Davidson seemed to be down on his luck when in his first race after a collision with Adrian Sutil’s Spyker, he had to drive almost the entire race in agonising back pain for which he was given morphine after the race and sent to hospital. In June at the Canadian Grand Prix, he lost his third place in the pouring rain when he drove over a ground hog which put a hole in his front wing and went into the radiator.
Next week will see Hamilton’s campaign begin, to secure the 2008 World Championship but for Davidson its going to be a long struggle just to save his career.
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