F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Admits Ferrari Move Wouldn't Happen Without Fred Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton has finally shed light on the reasons for his Ferrari move.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, set to join Ferrari in 2025, finally revealed the reasons for ending his decade-old partnership with the Brackley outfit. The 39-year-old driver had signed a contract extension with Mercedes last summer, and thus, the Ferrari announcement was a complete shocker for all Formula 1 fraternity. 

Key Takeaways:

• Lewis Hamilton explained his move to Ferrari in 2025 after a decade with Mercedes, citing a new opportunity that arose in the new year.
• Hamilton exercised a contractual release clause and emphasized the difficulty of the decision, expressing a desire to start a new chapter in his career.
• The reunion with Fred Vasseur at Ferrari, coupled with the chance to fulfill a childhood dream of driving for the iconic team, played a pivotal role in Hamilton's decision.

Hamilton exercised a contractual release clause, finalizing an agreement with Ferrari, and is set to join the team in the upcoming season following his last stint with Mercedes in 2024. When questioned about the shift from signing with Mercedes the previous summer to choosing Ferrari ahead of the Bahrain pre-season testing, Hamilton explained:

“In the summer we signed, and obviously I, at that time, saw my future with Mercedes. But an opportunity came up in the new year and I decided to take it.

“I feel like… it was obviously the hardest decision that I think I’ve ever had to make. Obviously I’ve been with Mercedes for, I think it’s like 26 years they’ve supported me, and we’ve had an absolutely incredible journey together. We’ve created history within the sport, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.

“But I think ultimately I’m writing my story and I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.”

Hamilton's reunion with Fred Vasseur at Ferrari holds significance as their connection has persisted over the years, which played a crucial role in facilitating Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari. He added:

“I’ve got a great relationship with Fred.

“Obviously I raced with him in Formula 3, and we had amazing success in Formula 3 and also in GP2, and that’s really where the foundation of our relationship started. We just always remained in touch. I thought that he was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to Formula 1, but at the time he wasn’t interested in that.

“It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa [Romeo] team and then when he got the job at Ferrari I was just so happy for him, and I think just the stars aligned. I think it really wouldn’t have happened without him, so I’m really grateful and really excited about the work that he’s doing there.”

Ferrari- A Childhood Dream

Expanding on his sentiment that it was a 'childhood dream' to race for Ferrari someday, Hamilton added:

“Of course, I think for every driver growing up, watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by the red.

“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the sea of red Ferrari fans and you can only stand in awe of that. It’s a team that’s not had huge success recently, since 2007, and I saw it as a huge challenge. Without a doubt, even as a kid, I used to play [on games] as Michael in that car, so it definitely is a dream and I’m really, really excited about it.”

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