Ferrari F1 recruit Lewis Hamilton says his decision to join Mercedes was driven by the same “emotions” he felt when he joined Mercedes in 2013.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 F1 season, midway through what was originally announced as a two-year contract extension to wear the Scuderia’s red dress.
The seven-time champion’s social media post on Saturday was not the first time he has spoken publicly about the move, as it was already quoted in Mercedes’ press release announcing his impending departure, but It definitely provided a more detailed discussion of his ideas. .
Hamilton described the period that included the signing and its announcement as “a crazy few days filled with all kinds of emotions.”
“After achieving with Mercedes what I could only have dreamed of as a child, I feel incredibly lucky to now have the opportunity to make another childhood dream come true. Drive in a red Ferrari That means I will,” he wrote.
Hamilton then paid tribute to the Mercedes team, brand, late team advisor Niki Lauda and team principal Toto Wolff, calling the decision “the most difficult decision I have ever made.” I drew parallels between my decision and my decision. We talked about his current endeavors and his decision to switch from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013.
At the time, he was becoming something of a rebuilding project for a dominant team that had finished third in the standings the previous year. However, it famously paid off, with McLaren going into a long fallow period at the same time Hamilton left, and when hybrid engine regulations came into effect in 2014, Mercedes took a spectacular lead.
Now, just like back then, Hamilton takes action a year in advance of major engine regulation changes.
“When I first joined Mercedes in 2013, I still remember how I felt when I took a leap of faith into the unknown.
“I’m sure some people didn’t understand it at the time, but I made the right decision at that time, and I still feel that way.
“But at the moment I’m not thinking about 2025. My focus is next season and getting back on track with Mercedes.”
“I am more motivated than ever, fitter and more focused than ever, and I want to help Mercedes win again.”
race says
scott mitchell malm
There are parallels between Hamilton’s bombshell at Ferrari and his shock move to Mercedes in the first place. The surprise, the magnitude of the decision, the prospect of parting ways with a longtime partner and betting on something that doesn’t seem like it on the surface. This is a clear improvement in competitiveness.
But this is to a much greater degree. Given that Mercedes had been involved in long-term support for McLaren, there was at least some continuity at the time, making it a bigger farewell.
He’s got the bulk of his career ahead of him, so he’s had more time to get it right. And he actually just moved from one British team to another and wasn’t as uprooted as he is now.
There are further differences. He is now nearing the end of his driving career and will be joining a team that has a young, well-loved and super-fast incumbent driver. And even if Ferrari builds a great 2025 car and clears the 2026 regulations, it’s unlikely that Hamilton will have enough time on his side to replicate his long stint at Mercedes. It is unlikely that you will repeat the same thing. range His chances of success at Mercedes are low.
That’s why others can’t understand why he’s doing this, just like many people couldn’t understand over a decade ago. Hamilton describes it as a “leap of faith into the unknown,” and he had good reasons for doing so, and that still applies.
If he is rewarded with a win, and perhaps even that elusive eighth title, he will certainly have shown his competitive edge. This may also be a case of feeling the right emotions at the right time, taking action, and achieving success that would not have been possible if you had stayed in the same place.
But there are other factors that make this clearly the right thing for him. He will be paid handsomely as a driver. There have also been hints of a huge salary package that Mercedes were unwilling or unable to match. He appears to have secured the long-term contract he never intended to get from Mercedes. And if there was a feeling that Mercedes doubted him, Ferrari and John Elkann seem to have made him feel highly wanted.
Don’t underestimate it. Even F1 superstars and big-time politicians are human beings, and feeling love goes a long way. We saw it with Fernando Alonso and now we’re seeing it with Hamilton.
There also appears to be a real commitment at Ferrari to giving Hamilton everything he wants and needs beyond being a racing driver – whether it’s as a long-term ambassador or a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Whether it’s supporting his various projects outside of F1 that address broader social initiatives. change. Mercedes is a great ally in this regard, but Ferrari seems intent on continuing the effort and even investing in further growth.
Hamilton’s contract with Ferrari means he will earn a huge amount of money both on and off the track. And while this move may not make any sense to those watching from afar, if Hamilton is getting even half of the rumored amount, he doesn’t care one bit. Dew.
