Lewis Hamilton says it’s been an emotional and surreal experience as he prepares for his final year with Mercedes before joining Ferrari in 2025. (0:41)
Lewis Hamilton has said that his preference for driving for Ferrari dates back to his childhood, when he played Formula 1 video games called Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton stunned the F1 world earlier this month when he announced he would leave his contract with Mercedes a year early to drive for Ferrari in 2025.
Ferrari has not won a drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen beat Hamilton in 2007, and its last generation of sustained good fortune came with Schumacher between 2000 and 2004.
In an Instagram post earlier this month, Hamilton said driving for Ferrari in F1 was a “childhood dream,” a topic he addressed at a pre-season testing press conference on Friday.
“I think for each and every driving force, I think as you grow up, in history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think we’re probably all sitting in our garage and watching the screen pop up, and you see the driving force. in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by red. “he said.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the sea of red Ferrari fans, and you still can’t be impressed.
“It’s a team that hasn’t had a lot of good luck since then, especially since Michael’s time, but obviously since 2007, and I saw it as a huge challenge.
“Without a doubt, even as a kid, I played Grand Prix 2 [a video game] as Michael in that car.
“It’s definitely a dream and I’m really excited about it. “
Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes was advertised as a two-year deal when he signed last August, but the seven-time champion opted to trigger a buyout clause at the end of 2024.
Asked what he had replaced in his brain over the winter, Hamilton added: “Obviously, we signed this summer, and at that point I saw my long career with Mercedes, but an opportunity presented itself in the new year and I took it.
“It’s obviously the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I think I’ve been with Mercedes for about 26 years; They supported me and together we had an incredible adventure. “
“We’ve made a joint milestone in the sport, and that’s something I’m very proud of and very proud of what we’ve accomplished. I think at the end of the day, I wrote my story and I just felt it. It’s time to start a new chapter. “
Hamilton is known to have owned three Ferrari road cars since joining a Formula 1 driver (adding a Ferrari 599 GTO he bought in 2010), but he said he had never visited the team’s famed factory in Maranello, Italy.
“I think I bought my first Ferrari in 2010. Es my first gift, but I don’t have it anymore,” said Hamilton.
“But it couldn’t happen at the time, being at [McLaren] Mercedes, I didn’t think it was a smart concept at the time.
Hamilton also said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur played a central role in his resolve to transfer teams.
Vasseur Hamilton was team boss of the ART GP Formula 3 in 2005 and GP2 in 2006 and was appointed Ferrari boss through Alfa Romeo early last year.
“I have a wonderful relationship with Fred,” Hamilton said. Obviously, I raced for him in Formula 3 and we had incredible luck in Formula 3 and GP2, and that’s where the foundations of our relationship began.
“We’ve kept in touch and I thought at some point I’d be an amazing team principal and progress in Formula 1, but at the time I wasn’t interested.
“It was great to see him come into the Alfa Romeo team [in 2017], and then when he was given the job at Ferrari, I was very happy for him.
“I think the stars aligned, this wouldn’t have happened without him, and I’m grateful and excited for the paintings he’s doing there. “