F1 pundit Lawrence Barretto recently explained the entire timeline of how Ferrari successfully struck a deal with Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Barretto shared how Hamilton and Ferrari used to have informal chats about the move in the past. He also shed light on Ferrari president John Elkann’s close relationship with the seven-time world champion and their talks about the transfer.
“Lewis has talked to Ferrari management for a number of years now at different points in his career, but each time it’s always been an informal chat. He’s become friends with John Elkann the chairman and they’ve hung out socially so you can imagine that topic came up,” Barretto said.
The F1 pundit stated that the last informal conversation between John Elkann and Lewis Hamilton was in May 2023, around the Monaco GP:
“Even as recently as last May, around the Monaco Grand Prix, when John Elkann called him again and said, ‘Lewis, come to Ferrari, we want you here, we’ll offer you the world,’ Lewis said no. That was the last time in which it was only an informal chat.”
According to Barretto, contract details came into the picture during the latter stages of the 2023 season. He reckons that Hamilton was not too happy to see Mercedes offering him a one-plus-one-year deal. On the other hand, Ferrari’s president was offering the Brit a long-term contract, which was much more tempting for the driver.
“John gave him another call as autumn turned to winter and he was like, ‘Lewis, this is what we can offer you, a multi-year deal, a long-term deal.’ At that time Lewis had signed a one-plus-one with Mercedes. I imagine at that point in time Lewis felt a bit disappointed by the way that the team [Mercedes] had dealt with him,” Barretto explained.
Though Lewis Hamilton extended his contract with Mercedes till 2025, he eventually decided to leave the team after 2024. His move from Mercedes to Ferrari was finally announced on February 1 in an update that shocked the entire motorsport space.
Lewis Hamilton’s emotional message after Mercedes to Ferrari move announcement
Lewis Hamilton wrote a heartfelt message after his move from Mercedes to Ferrari was officially announced to the public.
On his official X account, he expressed pride in what he and the team had achieved. Hamilton also touched upon how he had grown with the team and that leaving them was the hardest decision of his life. Concluding his message, he expressed his excitement to start a new chapter in his career with Ferrari.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge,” Hamilton wrote.
Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven World Championships with Mercedes and also helped the team win eight Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021.
