F1 News: Mercedes Director Reveals The One Surprising Aspect Of Lewis Hamilton's Exit

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison revealed that Hamilton's departure to Ferrari was not entirely surprising due to a break clause in his contract, despite its unexpected timing.

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain during media availabilities at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison recently shared insights into Lewis Hamilton's surprising decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025. Despite Hamilton signing a two-year contract extension with Mercedes just last year, his upcoming departure has jolted the Formula 1 world. On the “F1's Beyond the Grid” podcast, Allison disclosed that while the timing of the announcement was unexpected, the existence of a break clause in Hamilton’s contract made his move entirely possible, if not foreseeable.

He commented, as quoted by Motorsportweek:

“Not massively. I was surprised at the manner in which it happened, the timing of it.

“But I was aware of the nature of the contract we’d offered and the nature of the contract we’d offered permitted that to happen.

“So if it then happened, we shouldn’t be surprised because that was explicitly a thing that we were prepared to happen or else we wouldn’t have put it as an option in the contract.

“So the precise timing and sequencing of when it happened, that I think caught everyone a bit on the hop, but that it did happen, I don’t think was unpredictable.”

Allison went on to open up on working with the seven-time champion, explaining:

“The days where he would just produce total magic that would make you go, ‘Oh, my goodness’.

“Putting a car on a road with such precision that just left all the other drivers around him with no option but to sort of surrender to what Lewis was doing on the road, the ability to make a tyre last and last and last, even while telling Bono [Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington] it wouldn’t – the drama that goes along with having him as a team-mate.

“But the just the delivery of brilliant, brilliant performance. I have said before I think he’s the best racing car driver there’s ever been, and I still believe it.”