27/12/2024
Lewis Hamilton McLaren return theory blown apart as Mercedes man reveals Ferrari ‘conversation’:
— Mercedes race team coordinator Stephen Lord revealed he initially believed Lewis Hamilton would return to McLaren after his Mercedes stint but later understood Ferrari had always been part of Hamilton’s career plans.
“Not at all. Because I think that’s been his plan all along. A few years ago, it came up in conversation. I actually always thought he might be tempted back to McLaren, but I was completely wrong.”
— Lord shared Hamilton’s perspective on Ferrari, emphasizing the allure of its legacy and history.
“We had a conversation years ago and he always said that he felt most drivers had a desire to, at least at some point in their career, drive the Ferrari. They’re the oldest, most recognisable team in the pit lane, the history and the esteem that that marque is held in, I think it’s inevitable that people would want to go there.”
— Hamilton announced his multi-year contract with Ferrari for 2025, leaving Mercedes after securing six of his seven World Championships and setting multiple records.
— Reflecting on his move to Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton described it as a pivotal and highly criticized decision at the time.
“It will probably have been when I decided to join Mercedes. I was in Thailand at the time, in between races after Singapore, and that’s when I made the decision. And I was like: ‘I want to take the leap of faith and I’m going to go with it, regardless of what people say.’”
“Pretty much everyone told me to stay, but I went with my gut and my intuition and it was the best thing for me.”
“As a World Champion, people were like: ‘This is the worst decision you can make, this not a great team and your career is over.’ All the pundits, all the media outlets, all the fans, everyone was like: ‘Career’s over.’ And then it went well and everyone’s like: ‘Oh, it’s the best decision ever made.’”
VIA: [PLANET F1: https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-hamilton-mclaren-return-theory-ferrari-talks]
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