Ferrari's Ross Brawn has advised his rival counterparts at McLaren to tread carefully as Lewis Hamilton makes the last few steps to formula one.
The technical director suggested that the possibility of a full-time debut in a silver car next year, or even an early appearance in Juan Pablo Montoya's place in the later stages of 2006, could do the rookie Englishman more harm than good.
''Fernando (Alonso) is top level and Lewis Hamilton has got to decide if he can learn from him or whether he will be damaged by him,'' Brawn told the Mirror.
McLaren chief Ron Dennis, however, has made a point lately of playing down the need to rush 21-year-old GP2 dominator Hamilton - who would be the first driver of Caribbean-ancestry to race in F1 - into grand prix service.
Dennis, who has invested a decade of support on the youngster, insisted: ''He should not be obsessed with climbing into an F1 car as fast as possible.''
Ferrari's Ross Brawn has advised his rival counterparts at McLaren to tread carefully as Lewis Hamilton makes the last few steps to formula one.
The technical director suggested that the possibility of a full-time debut in a silver car next year, or even an early appearance in Juan Pablo Montoya's place in the later stages of 2006, could do the rookie Englishman more harm than good.
''Fernando (Alonso) is top level and Lewis Hamilton has got to decide if he can learn from him or whether he will be damaged by him,'' Brawn told the Mirror.
McLaren chief Ron Dennis, however, has made a point lately of playing down the need to rush 21-year-old GP2 dominator Hamilton - who would be the first driver of Caribbean-ancestry to race in F1 - into grand prix service.
Dennis, who has invested a decade of support on the youngster, insisted: ''He should not be obsessed with climbing into an F1 car as fast as possible.
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