Lewis Hamilton made a great choice when leaving McLaren and may have chosen the right time again. Photo: Nicholas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images < p>Ferrari has always been the largest and most iconic team in Formula 1. No questions. Growing up in and around sports, I was, of course, always in awe of them. Not that my father ever drove a Ferrari. At least not in Formula 1. He drove a 250 GTO at Le Mans one year with Stirling Moss, and the following year finished second in a 330P prototype (unfortunately their relationship never progressed to actual Ferrari ownership — we had Ford Cortinas when I was growing up and Ford Zephyr!) But there was always something special about this scarlet. Prancing horse. There is magic and mysticism in the Scuderia.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I completely understand why Lewis Hamilton threw in his lot with the Italian marque in the final chapter (one assumes) of his career. Wearing the overalls is every young racer's dream, and Lewis has always been a fan.
But what a shock. The timing of this event, with the season about to begin, took everyone by surprise.
I was supposed to be at Sky HQ last night to commentate on AT&T Golf at Pebble Beach. But when the news broke in Italy, it was chaos. The entire Sky F1 team was pre-selected. You know it's a big story when all your WhatsApp groups start pinging at the same time. I checked it out with some Italian friends and the message I got was: “There are just people chatting in the pub. It's rubbish.» An hour later they came back and said it was all true. Who would have thought that the biggest story on transfer deadline day would be related to the relocation of Formula 1 drivers?
To be honest, I think this is great news for Formula 1. Hamilton has an affair — this supernova that burned so brightly for so long — ends his career at Ferrari. I think it gives the sport a huge boost, especially in the States. If you were looking for some good news to distract from Andretti's rather abrupt withdrawal on Wednesday, this might do the trick.
This is a drastic move on Lewis' part, but I'm sure it's not just an emotional decision. Lewis desperately needs the eighth title that was so cruelly taken from him in Abu Dhabi 2021. If he felt Mercedes were in the best position to give him the title, if he thought they were on the verge of overhauling Red Bull, then there is no doubt he will stay. He made a calculated bet that Ferrari was the best option.
It's absolutely fascinating. Remember that Lewis was privy to Ferrari's development data from his Mercedes driver briefings. He will read the runes. Of course, you might overestimate how much a driver perceives or understands in an engineering sense, but Lewis has been around for a long time. He made a great choice when he left McLaren. Who's to say he didn't make another great call now? Apparently he knows Fred Wasser well from their time together at ART. He likes what he sees. Maybe with Lewis in the car Ferrari would be more competitive than last year?
There is no doubt that this is a big blow for Mercedes. Team principal Toto Wolff and technical director James Allison have signed new contracts in recent weeks and I'm sure they've been trying hard to reassure him that they're on top of things; that they could compete for the championship.
But if he felt that everything would be about the same, then why stay? Why not try something new? He doesn't get any bigger.
I know that I would really like to drive for Ferrari. I was once in a meeting with Jean Todt, I think it was before I joined Arrows, about driving with Michael Schumacher. I remember he said: “Yes, yes, but you have to be okay with command orders.” That's all over.
Oddly enough, Gene later said that he could not remember this conversation. I may have dreamed that I was sitting outside his house in Italy!
Either way, I'm excited. It certainly adds a new dimension to Formula 1 and the upcoming season. Will Mercedes continue to be completely open with Lewis at the end of 2024? It's not like he's an engineer who can be sent on gardening leave. He will take everything he knows straight to Maranello! If I know racing drivers, George Russell won't be shy to point it out. Now he is the future of Mercedes.
But Mercedes is not stupid either. Their partnership with Hamilton has been one of the most successful in the history of the sport and they want to see it end on a high rather than let it fizzle out. If Lewis starts well, they will support him until the end, I'm sure. If he doesn't, things could get interesting.
Did Lewis make the right choice? Will he live to regret this? Who knows. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.
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