Lewis Hamilton first became a part of the Mercedes fraternity when he was just 13 years old. The German team helped him in his junior career and eventually got into F1 with McLaren, a customer team for the German engine-makers. As such, Hamilton always found a sense of belonging at the Brackley-based outfit, with whom he created history over the years.
In an interview back in 2019, Hamilton confessed,
“To be a part of the family and you get very much treated like you’re a member of the family and I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13 so it’s been a real privilege to be a part of the heritage, to be a part of this iconic brand and to be a part of the newest part of it and the newest part of its history and pushing the limits and the boundaries with them and conquering championships and that with them.”
Hamilton made the statement five years before he announced his departure from the team. Ahead of the start of this campaign, he revealed he would move to Ferrari in 2025, bringing an end to the iconic partnership between the two.
Hamilton won his first World championship with McLaren, before winning a further six titles with Mercedes. For that, he admitted he was truly grateful.
Apart from conquering championships, Hamilton also stuck around to help Mercedes get out of the slump it entered in 2022. He sacrificed his races to find the right setup, spoke out when he felt the engineers needed to make changes and finally in 2024, won an F1 race after a nearly three-year drought.
But now, he will leave his family behind after 1o more races to drive for the Maranello-based outfit.
Hamilton admits joining Ferrari was a childhood dream
Hamilton chose to join Ferrari because he felt he had a better chance of winning his eighth World title in Italy. But that wasn’t the only reason. The Brit told ESPN, that he was fulfilling a childhood dream by moving to Ferrari. He said,
“I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfill another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red.”
Ferrari is the most successful, and arguably the most iconic team in F1 history. Although he will join them at a time when Mercedes will likely be better, the 2026 season could work as a great equalizer, owing to the regulation changes.