In 2012, McLaren dominated F1’s front row, but Hamilton opted for a less prominent Mercedes, challenging critics and changing his career trajectory.
At the end of the 2012 season, McLaren F1 appeared to have the best car on the grid. Thus, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton secured the front row at the final Grand Prix of the year, the renowned race at Interlagos.
Meanwhile, Mercedes F1 was mired in mid-grid mediocrity. Nico Rosberg’s early-season victory in China stood as the team’s highlight.
Yet, Lewis Hamilton made a shocking decision: to leave McLaren for Mercedes F1 starting in the 2013 season. The move was heavily criticized within the paddock… and the rest is history. While McLaren F1 began a ten-year decline, Mercedes would dominate F1 from 2014. Lewis Hamilton would win six world championships…
Thus, the Briton regards this 2013 transfer choice as the most pivotal moment of his career.
“Yes, that moment probably, when I decided to join Mercedes.”
“I was in Thailand at the time, between races after Singapore [where Hamilton had retired due to mechanical failure, ed.], and that’s when I made the decision. I told myself: I want to take this leap of faith and I’m going to do it, regardless of what people say. Almost everyone was telling me to stay, but I followed my instincts and intuition, and it was the best thing to do for me.”
“I was in a team that was winning championships. I was with McLaren, which had such a great history. Obviously, Mercedes owned half of McLaren, so it was partly their team, but then they split off and bought their own team, and while they were trying to ramp up, they weren’t very successful.”
“Mercedes F1 was the fifth or sixth best team at the time, often finishing outside the top 10, struggling to break into the top 10. I was a world champion, and people thought: this is the worst decision you could make, it’s not a great team and your career is over. All the experts, all the media, all the fans, everyone was saying: ‘Your career is over’. My career was over for them.”
“And then it turned out well and everyone was like: ‘Oh, Mercedes F1, it’s the best team in the world’: It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
After years at McLaren F1, Lewis Hamilton felt the need to challenge his habits and routines.
“I think it’s just because I wanted a challenge at the time and I like taking risks. I’ve always done that.”
“Moreover, I’ve never liked doing what everyone expects of me, which is why I never did well in school. I meditated, prayed, and tried to think about what I wanted to do and I just liked the challenge. I felt that where I was, I wasn’t being sufficiently challenged.”
“I like putting myself in an uncomfortable position, stepping out of my comfort zone, because it’s nerve-wracking, but I love that feeling. It’s the feeling you get when you climb into a Formula 1 car. But joining a new team, people I didn’t know, having to fit in, all the changes you have to make, and then the process of growth, building, evolving, and moving toward a common goal… When you achieve it, it’s the most wonderful feeling you can experience.”
These lines also indirectly shed light on Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes F1 for Ferrari next year: he indeed needed another challenge.
Has the Briton thoroughly enjoyed it since 2014, when he proved all his detractors wrong?
“Yes, it was good. And I think at the time, it was such a whirlwind that I certainly enjoyed it.”
“I was qualifying for pole, I was in the lead, we were fighting for the championship and I couldn’t believe that the decision I had made was paying off: ‘Wow, this is really, really happening. This is the right thing for me.’ I was riding this beautiful wave.”
Not much joy in 2014 for the first title
Yet Lewis Hamilton doesn’t only hold fond memories of the 2014 season, during which his sole rival was Nico Rosberg, his teammate at Mercedes F1.
“When I look back, I think: 2014, was that my most competitive season? I was competing with my teammate. He was tough to beat, but generally, you always prefer to be competing against multiple teams. That’s what the sport should encourage. More often than not, it doesn’t, but I’m always grateful for it.”
“I think it was only in 2015 that I really, really started to enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy the first title with Mercedes F1 because it was just—I don’t know—it wasn’t a great time for me. The second title, in 2014, made me feel like I had made the right decision and I had nothing left to prove: I made the right decision and proved everyone wrong. Great, I can sleep. But the next title made me feel like: OK, we’re here to stay, this is really going to mean something.” And then I was at three titles, which is what Ayrton Senna won.
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Hamilton Discusses His Pivotal ‘Leap of Faith Hamilton Discusses His Pivotal ‘Leap of Faith. f1 2024 Hamilton Discusses His Pivotal ‘Leap of Faith
