Just a few weeks after Lewis Hamilton shocked the world of F1 by announcing his new deal with Ferrari, the legendary driver opened up about his decision to leave Mercedes following the 2024 season.
Growing up, Hamilton played Formula One video games often. Revealing a longstanding aspiration to join the ranks of Ferrari, Hamilton said that he often assumed the persona of Michael Schumacher while playing the games.
The storied Italian team’s drought in clinching drivers’ championships since Kimi Raikkonen’s victory over Hamilton in 2007 underscores a longing for past glories, notably during Schumacher’s dominant reign from 2000 to 2004.
Hamilton took to Instagram earlier this month, candidly expressing his lifelong ambition to don the scarlet red of Ferrari in Formula One, a sentiment he further expounded upon during a press briefing amidst preseason testing activities last Friday.
“I think for every driver, I think growing up, watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it might be like to be surrounded by the red,” he said.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix, and you see the sea of red of Ferrari fans, and you can only stand in awe of that. It’s a team that’s not had huge success really since, mostly obviously from Michael’s days, but obviously since 2007, and I saw it as a huge challenge. Without a doubt, even as a kid, I used to play on Grand Prix 2 [a computer game] as Michael in that car. So it definitely is a dream, and I’m really, really excited about it.”
In order to join Ferrari, Hamilton activated an exit clause in his contract with Mercedes at the end of 2024.
“Obviously in summer we signed, and at that time I saw my future with Mercedes, but an opportunity came up in the new year and I decided to take it. It was obviously the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I’ve been with Mercedes for, I think, like, 26 years; they have supported me, and we have had an absolutely incredible journey together. We have created history together in the sport, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in and I’m very proud of what we have achieved. I think ultimately I’m writing my story and I felt like it was just time to start a new chapter.”
