F1 News: Former Champion Suggests Deeper Motives Behind Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari Move

“Lewis has taken command of his career and his direction", he said.

Former Formula 1 driver Damon Hill claims that Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025 isn't just about the brand value that Ferrari offers, which some call the Ferrari "romance." The 1996 champion believes Hamilton was offered a more potent performance package for the upcoming season with high prospects of winning the championship. 

Looking back at 2023, it's easy to spot that Ferrari was the one non-Red Bull team to win a Grand Prix. Not to forget how close Ferrari got to overtaking Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship. 

Though Hamilton secured the third spot in the Drivers' Standings, could things have been different if he was given a faster title contender, like Ferrari's SF-23? Hamilton might have a similar opinion and Hill thinks it was the same reason he decided to move on with the Red team, given the evidence that it was "starting to solidify as a competitive package".

Hamilton's decision to part ways with Mercedes was unexpected, as many anticipated he would continue with the team for the remainder of his career. Nonetheless, the seven-time world champion has chosen to depart after 12 years of significant success with Mercedes.

Discussing with Sky Sports about his assertion regarding the deeper reasons behind Hamilton's move to Ferrari, Hill stated:

“Lewis has taken command of his career and his direction.

“It’s not like Mercedes have said to him, ‘Oh, we’ve signed someone else’, which is what happened with me.

“But I think that, [with] this decision, we know it’s a given [regarding] the Ferrari benefits of the brand and all the other things that come with [it], the romance and the history and all of that, it’s a given. But I think there’s more to this, which is [that] I thought there was [recent] evidence that Ferrari were starting to solidify as a competitive package.

“They were starting to put together the components and they were starting to get results. And I think if you had a choice between Mercedes giving you the same equipment and Ferrari, I’d rather go to Ferrari and try something different.”

Another significant factor that could have driven Hamilton to transition to Ferrari was his lack of success since 2021. Mercedes has failed to provide him with a competitive car capable of winning races since the start of the ground effect era.

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