Lewis Hamilton outlined the driving force and thought process behind his unexpected decision to join Ferrari for next season.
Lewis Hamilton aims to emulate Michael Schumacher, the only other seven-time world champion, with his move to Ferrari in 2025.
The Englishman shocked the entire grid when he out of the blue announced that he had signed a multi-year deal with the Italian team to race for them in 2025 and beyond. He is looking to have the Ferrari story as part of his legacy like in the case of Schumacher’s.
Hamilton also acknowledges Ferraris’ team principal Frederic Vasseur has also played a major role in his decision to join the Manerallo-based team.
Fred Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)
Vasseur is one of the most influential individuals in Hamilton;’s life and career. The duo has dominated multiple junior racing series together over the years while Hamilton was climbing the F1 ladder.I’ve got a great relationship with Fred. Obviously, I raced with him in Formula 3, we had amazing success in Formula 3 and also in GP2 and that’s really where the foundation of our relationship started. We always remained in touch and I thought that he was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to Formula 1, but at the time he wasn’t interested in that. It was cool to see him step into the Alfa team and then when he got the job at Ferrari I was just so happy for him. I think just the stars aligned. It wouldn’t have happened without him so I’m really grateful and excited about the work that he’s doing there.
Lewis Hamilton said, as rep[orted by racefans.net.
Hamilton has been an ardent supporter of Ferrari, a team that hasn’t had dominant runs since Schumacher and the 2007 title win with Kimi Raikkonen was their last victory. He remembers seeing Ferrari fans at the Italian GP seeing Schumacher in his prime, and reading to one day being part of the story. Hamilton now has the opportunity to live his childhood dream and bring success back to the team.
Lewis Hamilton lauded Mercedes’ tenacity and communication, calling it the best he’s ever seen from the team
The Brackley-based team finished second on the timesheets after completing 361 laps in the three-day test in Bahrain with their Mercedes W15 car. After going two full seasons without a victory, But following his last preseason test with Mercedes, he thinks the group has a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie, and Mercedes has a fantastic foundation with the W15. Mercedes has a strong foundation to build on, in the 39-year-old’s opinion, with the W15.