Hamilton: I haven’t lost faith in the team…
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says he still loves Mercedes and has not lost faith in the team.
Hamilton has given a new perspective on his decision to leave Mercedes for rivals Ferrari at the end of the year. Speaking to author Matt Whyman in his new book Inside Mercedes F1 , Hamilton explained why he chose to leave the team with which he won six of his seven titles.
Hamilton told Whyman: “I feel like I’m ending a relationship that was going really well. We still love each other very much. I haven’t lost faith in the team, I’m just leaving for myself. It was a childhood dream. I think it’s probably the same for every kid who loves motorsport: to drive the red car.”
“The truth is I’m getting towards the end of my career, I only have a few years left, so I started thinking about how I would feel when I look back. I asked myself if I would have been really happy if I had stayed on the team rather than trying something different.”
“I thought about it a lot over the winter. It was a very difficult time. After all, I have something great going on here. It’s a great privilege for me and I really enjoy working with everyone. I know that moving to another team is a big risk, but I like risk. In the end, I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. I have to try it.”
Hamilton said the meeting he had to explain the situation to team boss Toto Wolff was the “most difficult meeting” he had ever been involved in. He also found it difficult to break the news to his close friends at the team, including race engineer Peter Bonnington.
Hamilton said he was hesitant to get out of the car and tell them at the start of the new season as the team prepared for their annual paintball match, but when he finally mustered up the courage, their response was a relief.
“Everyone has been so kind, so understanding and so positive. I am determined to give my all for this season but I know that later this year I will have a realization that will affect me greatly. I will no longer be able to visit the factory or see my beloved teammates.”
As for Wolff, the Mercedes team boss said he was relieved to be spared the decision to leave Hamilton one day: “I knew Lewis could leave but I can’t understand why he wanted to move to another team without knowing if we would be competitive. He didn’t give me time to react.”
“I had to call our partners urgently and probably missed the meeting with other drivers who signed a few weeks ago, such as Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
“It helped us avoid having to tell the most iconic driver in the sport that we no longer wanted to work with him,” Wolff said, adding that he was somewhat pleased with the situation.
