Hamilton will need time, says Dennis

Hamilton has just been announced as Fernando Alonso's 2007 teammate and, although the GP2 champion has been surrounded by huge hype all year, Dennis has urged caution in not allowing expectations to get out of control too early.

"Obviously as a Grand Prix team we exist to win and having an expectation for Lewis to win next season is not unrealistic if we have a strong car performance," said Dennis on Friday.

"But certainly that will not be in the early part of the season. That is obviously far too high an expectation.

"One of his greatest qualities which many of us have witnessed is his ability never to give up. That is the spirit I expect to see, no matter where he qualifies or where he finishes.

If he can bring the determination that we have all seen in GP2 racing, and it is there in F1 racing, then I am comfortable that the results he is able to deliver will be comfortable to the team and the people who invest in us.

"The important thing is how does he attack the first few races? Does he keep his head focused on the job? Does he have a balanced approach to it? Does he avoid getting into trouble?

"If he does that, then we will be delighted. This is a part where we have to bring a degree of patience and we will be patient."

Dennis has revealed that the decision to race Hamilton in 2007 was made many weeks ago - and well before the end of the season. The team delayed announcing it so the story did not get lost amid the championship battle and Michael Schumacher's retirement.

They also felt that it would have been counterproductive not to reveal their plans ahead of the resumption of testing next week.

And talking about why the team had chosen Hamilton, Dennis said that there was no other available driver on the grid who had the talent and promise that the youngster has shown.

"To be honest, we felt that we had many options," said Dennis. "Even with the lack of success this season we believe we are recognised as a competitive racing team, a team that shows over the years that even when it is down it can bounce back. For that reason most drivers want to drive for us, it is something that has always been the case.

"We reviewed the whole grid and, if you take out the recognised top three, one of whom retired, we felt that in looking at the others that they had plateaud in their career. There is the odd exception of someone who has not had good enough equipment, but there was no one who really shined.

"In looking at Lewis, and his achievements in and out of the car, he is polished ambassador for McLaren-Mercedes. He was worthy of the opportunity to show what he can do given the chance."

Although Dennis acknowledges that Hamilton will be unlikely to deliver his full potential in the early part of the season, he is confident that signing the rookie will not compromise his team's chances of winning the constructors' championship next year.

"If you had a situation where all the cars were equal, I think Lewis would beat a significant percentage of the drivers who currently sit on a Grand Prix grid," he said. "I am distinctly unimpressed with the majority of drivers currently involved in F1, and if it wasn't the case then I would have encouraged my colleagues to take a different path.

"This is a decision that I have not taken on my own, this is a decision that involves many people, most certainly Martin Whitmarsh and Norbert Haug, and within our own organisation and the people who invest in us there are people whose opinions we value.

"Ultimately the decision is mine, and I would never have taken a decision that was not supported by those people that I have mentioned. They too share my view. There are many drivers on the grid that I would not put in a McLaren-Mercedes, so Lewis is well equipped to cope with the drivers who fall into that category.

"I think we have the ability, providing we provide both drivers with competitive machinery, to win both championships."