The news that the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is set to leave Mercedes and sign a contract with Ferrari. There is no doubt what the purpose of this transition is — a record title that the Briton wants to win at the end of his career.
According to numerous sources, including the website Motorsport.com, negotiations between the Scuderia and the British driver are at the final stage. An official announcement can be expected in the coming days.
Previously, it was repeatedly reported that Ferrari showed interest in Hamilton. However, Lewis rejected all offers, and, in general, it is clear why. If everything works out with Mercedes, why change anything? Over the course of nine years with the Silver Arrows, the Briton won six world titles. He came second twice more. The result is more than convincing.
However, in the last two years, something has gone wrong in the German mechanism, which is well-oiled like a clock. Namely, the team’s engineers spent too much time adapting the car to changes in technical regulations associated with the emergence of the so-called “ground effect”. And this directly affected the results. In 2022, Hamilton finished the season only sixth, and in 2023 — third. But without any chance of a real fight against the dominance of Red Bull and the leading driver of this team, Max Verstappen.
Last year, Hamilton signed a contract with Mercedes for 2024 and 2025, but now information has emerged that the second part of the agreement was only optional. If so, the Briton will be able to join Ferrari after a season.
Just recently it seemed that the Briton was going to end his career at Mercedes. The pilot himself said last season that he has no doubts about his ability to return to the top.
““We’ve been there before as a team, new people come to us, we still have our values, I see the focus with which everyone works,” said Hamilton, commenting on his prospects in the team with which he has been with six times won a championship trophy (the very first was at McLaren).
It is curious that Hamilton has not yet moved to Ferrari, but the Scuderia has already benefited from this. Ferrari shares on the New York Stock Exchange rose by 10% due to the sensational transfer. On Wednesday, one Ferrari share cost almost $347, and shortly after the stock market opened on Thursday, the price soared to $384. This gave the company a market capitalization of approximately 69 billion dollars, up from 62.4 billion a day ago.
However, whether the move to Ferrari will be profitable for Hamilton himself is a big question. The Scuderia, just like Mercedes, had difficulty adapting to the new regulations. For example, last season the team from Maranello lost in the Constructors' Championship to both Red Bull and the Silver Arrows themselves. And the last Ferrari driver to win the championship title was Finn Kimi Raikkonen back in 2007.
Why then did the Briton decide to make this transfer (and insiders say that this is a fait accompli — according to their information, Mercedes executives have already announced to employees that Lewis is leaving)? The answer is obvious — Hamilton still does not believe in the correctness of the path his current team is taking. Although Mercedes has decided to make drastic changes this season and is going to introduce a completely new car. But he apparently did not inspire the seven-time world champion. Any update, as we know, takes a while to start working, and Hamilton turned 39 years old in January. There is little time left to win a record eighth title.
Of course, moving to Ferrari is a risk and there are no guarantees. Even for the status of number one in the team, Hamilton will have to fight — after all, his partner will be Charles Leclerc, who recently signed a new long-term agreement with the Scuderia. But at a minimum, Lewis will come to a team where some people have known him for a long time. We are talking about the head of the racing team, Frederic Vasseur, with whom the Briton worked at the dawn of his career. In fact, Vasseur has admitted more than once that he still regularly communicates with Hamilton, so it’s not difficult to guess who is behind this transition.
According to The Independent, Hamilton, informing Mercedes head Toto Wolff about his upcoming departure, explained it's very simple — wants to try something new. And this is perhaps a completely exhaustive formulation. To win the lottery, you need to at least buy a ticket. Lewis did this in hopes of one last chance to win a record-breaking championship. And if he succeeds, it will be difficult to come up with a more beautiful story.
Свежие комментарии