Sir Lewis Hamilton spoke for the first time today about his planned move to Ferrari in 2025, and, more importantly, his change of heart after renewing his two-year deal with Mercedes just a few months ago.
“In the summer we signed and obviously I, at the time, saw my future with Mercedes. But an opportunity came up in the new year and I decided to take it,” he told the press in Bahrain.
“It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life after 26 years of Mercedes supporting me and we’ve had this absolutely incredible journey together. We’ve made history and it’s something I’m very proud of.
“But I think ultimately I’m writing my story and I felt it was time to start a new chapter.”
What does Hamilton hope to achieve with Ferrari?
Although Fernando Alonso wryly underlined his surprise at Lewis‘ change of allegiance from Mercedes ambassador to ‘Ferrarista’, Hamilton has been a fan of the Italian team since he was a boy.
“Of course, I think for all drivers growing up, looking at history, they see Michael Schumacher at his best…. Definitely, even as a kid, I used to play Michael in that car, so it’s definitely a dream and I’m very, very excited about it,” he continued.
“I think we probably all sit in our garage and see the screen come up and you see the driver in the red cockpit and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by red.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the tifosi and it just blows you away.”
Lewis knows he is coming to try and break the 17-year championship drought that has plagued Maranello, but he is ready for the challenge.
“It’s a team that hasn’t had much success recently, since 2007, and I saw it as a big challenge. I’ve had a great relationship and communication with Fred Vasseur since we raced together in F3 and GP2, and I think this really wouldn’t have happened without him, so I’m very grateful and very excited about the work he’s doing there,” Hamilton concluded.
“When he joined Ferrari, I was happy for him and I think the stars aligned.”