At the end of the 2024 season, Lewis Hamilton will quit Mercedes. It was revealed in the beginning of February that he will join Ferrari in 2025.
This is undoubtedly the largest driver move in Formula One history. Indeed, Hamilton’s decision to join the sport’s most legendary team marks the end of the most successful relationship in history.
When he joined the Silver Arrows in 2013, he had already won one world title. His time with McLaren peaked with his 2008 victory, but otherwise it was a story of what could have been.
But between 2014 and 2020, he won six of seven global championships. No driver had ever won more than five races wearing the same colours.
While he continues to pursue a record ninth title, he is on his own in other categories. He leads the all-time list in race victories (103) and pole positions (104).
However, his Mercedes term is not finishing as he had intended. The 39-year-old has had his worst start to a season, as his squad has slid from behind Red Bull to the front of the midfield.
Three years after his last triumph at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, there is substantial concern over whether he will be able to cap his career with a last victory for the team. Toto Wolff, team principal, insists he is still in unusually good spirits.
Behind the scenes, Wolff feels betrayed by Hamilton’s departure. And the Englishman is ‘weary’ of waiting for a breakthrough.
The Mercedes head has previously stated that the timing of the decision startled him the most. However, with each race, Hamilton looks to get more clairvoyant.
Lewis Hamilton discusses the moment when he had to be’very careful’ with Mercedes
Hamilton spoke with French source Nextgen-Auto about one of his greatest performances, the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. The Briton would win the title with two races to spare that year, but Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari threatened to end his reign.
Mercedes appeared to be suffering during a crucial weekend at Marina Bay. Both Ferrari and Red Bull appeared to have an advantage.
However, in Q3, Hamilton drove what is largely regarded as an all-time great performance, beating Max Verstappen to pole position by more than three tenths. He went on to win the race by just under nine seconds, with Vettel finishing third.
Hamilton recalls upsetting key Mercedes figures, including the late Niki Lauda, by attending a fashion event in New York the week before the race. But he firmly suppressed their misgivings.
He stated, “It’s not ideal preparation for a racing weekend. So you need to be really cautious about that. People told me, ‘Oh, he’s not focused.’ But I wasn’t out late partying and drinking like that.”
“When I landed in Singapore, I completed one of the best laps I’ve ever done. And then everyone said, ‘Oh, he can do that.’ Even Niki warned Toto, ‘You can’t let Lewis do that!’ That is not what a racecar driver does! “I proved them wrong.”
Lewis Hamilton prepared to make the Ferrari move
Hamilton is now seeking to finish his career by breaking Ferrari’s title drought, which dates back to 2007. To do so, he must defeat Charles Leclerc, and perspectives differ on the difficulty he faces.
Mika Hakkinen believes Leclerc, a five-time race winner in his own right, might cause Hamilton trouble. However, former Formula One driver Robert Doornboss has cautioned that he is ‘too kind’ to win a title fight against his senior teammate.
According to a Ferrari insider, the squad will rally around their new recruit in the same way as Michael Schumacher did. Leclerc will have to deal with the possibly seismic shift at Maranello.
Hamilton may arrive despite external uncertainties, like he did in Singapore six years ago. Mark Webber believes Ferrari may have regretted replacing the in-form Carlos Sainz with a struggling driver.
Despite having a difficult year, the Mercedes driver has shown moments of brilliance. Most notably, he performed what Nico Rosberg described as a’magical’ lap in the Shanghai downpour to qualify second for the Sprint.
