In a revealing shift, Lewis Hamilton announces his move to Ferrari after a reflective winter, marking a pivotal change in his career.
Announcing his departure to Ferrari on February 1st, Lewis Hamilton revealed that it was in January when “everything somehow shifted.”
What happened during those approximately six weeks between Christmas and the end of January during which Hamilton changed his mind about continuing his career with Mercedes?
“I would say it was a tough and very unusual winter. There was a lot of reflection throughout December, with the introduction of new management for me (return of Marc Hynes, departure of Penni Thorne) which takes a lot of time and is never an easy process but everything was amicable and now it’s about working on rebuilding my own team.”
Hamilton’s Strategic Move to Ferrari Revealed
“I have a lot of things I want to do and I know exactly what I want to do. It’s about finding the right people to add to your team, ensuring it is diverse and so that’s always at the heart of what I’m trying to maintain and establish.”
“Then, Ferrari… It was really in January that everything turned in terms of when the Ferrari option came up and I spent a lot of time, alone, trying to make sure I was doing due diligence and making the right decision for myself and I feel like I made the right decision.”
“I had a short time to give my answer but I spent a lot, a lot of the allotted time on it. I’m super excited. Really excited.”
“But I’m excited about this year. And I know this team [Mercedes] is going to win another championship and I feel that I will be proud to know I was part of it because a lot of the things we’ve put in place are going to serve. This year I hope, or later. Our team is diverse, the processes we’ve put in place for development are solid.”
“I’m really looking forward to taking on this new challenge. It’s a lot of different emotions that I will be going through with this challenge. But it’s one that really excites me: to win one last time with Mercedes.”
The Briton is adamant: “nothing changes” as he begins his last season with Mercedes F1.
“Nothing changes, really. I was back at the factory on Monday, it’s full attack, everyone’s on deck.”
“I’ve been in this team for so long that there’s so much love, I still love and will always love this team. Everyone has been incredibly understanding within the team, extremely supportive, and everyone knows I’m here to bring them victory this year. That’s the goal, as every year.”
“It’s emotional and every week will be emotional because the seat fitting is the last, the winter testing was the last, and so on. There will be a lot of emotional experiences throughout the year, but we’ll do it together.”
“I’m currently a Mercedes driver 100%. And that’s my only focus this year and as I said, I don’t want the signing with Ferrari to distract from the team’s work.”
“I want to finish strong. I think there’s been a tremendous amount of work this winter and I have so much confidence in this team. And I see the motivation in everyone I’ve worked with for so many years.”
Hamilton Denies Losing Faith in Mercedes F1 by Choosing Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has refuted claims that his switch to Ferrari in 2025 was due to doubts about Mercedes’ ability to clinch more Formula 1 titles.
Hamilton has raced with the German brand throughout his F1 career, initially with McLaren and then joining its factory team in 2013, which saw him tie with Michael Schumacher as the sport’s most decorated driver.
However, the Brit has not added to his win tally since December 2021, following Mercedes’ failure to nail down a successful ground effect F1 concept.
Hamilton: New Chapter, Embraces Ultimate Challenge
When asked today at Sakhir if this influenced his decision, Hamilton countered: “No, honestly, it didn’t. I truly believe this team, as I mentioned earlier, will win another championship.”
“It’s an incredible group of people and really well managed. Mercedes has such an amazing history and, even at the board level, they’re heavily invested in racing and many aspects of motorsport.”
“Whether the W15 is a championship-winning car or not, it has no bearing on how I feel about it, about the next step in my career.”
Hamilton stated that the chance to end Ferrari’s championship drought, dating back to 2008, motivated him to embrace a new challenge as he approaches his career’s twilight.
“This is a new chapter in my life and I really feel like I’ve done everything I could with this team and indeed I am at the end of my career.”
“I love challenges and this is truly the ultimate challenge to go to an incredibly iconic team, which also has an amazing history. But they haven’t had as much success as they would have hoped over the last decade.”
Hamilton Eyes Ferrari, Mercedes Battles Red Bull
“Ferrari already looks very strong ahead of this weekend, which is positive for them and I hope my goal of beating them this year will be achievable. If not, I’ll look forward to enjoying it next year!”
Mercedes is undergoing a complete overhaul of its W15 as it aims to return to winning ways after enduring its first winless year since 2011 last season.
Both drivers have given a positive assessment of the many changes following pre-season testing, but Hamilton acknowledges Mercedes has work to do to catch up with Red Bull.
“It’s always an exciting time of the year and you see everyone coming together after testing to continue the work with all the data collected. There’s a great motivation within the team. We have a better platform to work from this year.”
“We still have some issues we need to sort out and it’s not perfect, but it’s certainly a better starting point than the last two years, so we’re relatively happy in that regard.”
“We’re not where we want to be, to compete with Red Bull at the front, but we’re working on it.”
Hamilton Ferrari Winter Change. Hamilton Ferrari Winter Change
- Crucial 2024 Season Looms: Tsunoda’s Team Transition
- Following us on Facebook and Twitter.
