7X WDC champion Sir Lewis Carl Hamilton Davidson will be completing 16 years in his Formula One career. He will also be completing 10 years with his current team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, where he has won 6 WDC titles and 7 WCC titles and has won 82 races and 77 pole positions with the team. The Silver Arrow moved to a very new Mercedes from the already-established McLaren racing team.
Hamilton allegedly left McLaren for a new challenge and newer opportunities, after having been with the team since he was a teenager. He was also reportedly dissatisfied with the team’s performance and believed that they were not providing him with a competitive car capable of winning races and championships, as evidenced by his disappointing 2012 season where he finished 4th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Lewis Hamilton on joining Mercedes
At the time when Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes, Red Bull driver, Sebastian Vettel was performing at the highest level possible. The German driver had already won 3 WDCs and was dominating the grid in a very Schumacher-esque fashion. Hamilton finished 5th in the 2013 season with Mercedes.
From the next season onwards, Mercedes provided Hamilton and his teammate, Nico Rosberg with one of the most dominating cars ever. It was the beginning of the turbo-hybrid V6 engine era for Formula One, and the German Constructor hit the nail on its head with the new engine. Winning 7 WDCs in a row. But when we look back at the decision that the English driver made in 2013, it was nothing short of ‘risky’.
In a special feature for the Mercedes F1 website, the 7X WDC champion reflected on his journey with Mercedes and his decision to leave McLaren “Did it feel like a risk? Of course! When you make decisions, you go through changes and it’s always going to be a risk,”
Hamilton argued that he would feel like he wasn’t living if he didn’t take risks and constantly challenge himself and those around him. The Englishman also stated that it was the inevitable direction he had to take and that it felt right. He explained that he had a feeling that he wanted something new and was excited to work with new people and join a struggling team and that he wanted to see if he could apply everything he had learned in a different context.
Hamilton to partner Rosberg at Mercedes in 2013: Mercedes have announced their 2013 driver line-up, with Nico Ro… http://t.co/WGFSMe7B
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 28, 2012
The Briton continued “I was excited by the plans I had heard were being put in place to scale up the team and going all in to become champions. I went with what I felt in my gut and my heart. It led me to this amazing team and this incredible journey we are on.”
He continued by saying that he was told that Mercedes was strong back in 2012 and that he understood that if he did not make that move then, he would regret it.
Lewis Hamilton stated that he did not have any second thoughts, although he did recall sitting outside in the cold looking over the snowy mountains around Christmas and thinking that he hoped he had made the right decision. He said that he had a moment of reflection and thought that since they had done it, they were going to give it everything they had.
Lewis Hamilton wins the Hungarian Grand Prix – his first win for Mercedes http://t.co/cNJLSMV9yV #skyf1
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 28, 2013
Hamilton also mentioned that he focused on training the best he could and bringing the best he could to the team. He also thought about how great it would be to achieve a win in the first season, something they managed to accomplish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton’s new contract
The driver from Stevenage, Hertfordshire said “I feel that I’ve had the right team to grow. Not only as a driver but as a man. I’ve been given the ability to be myself and been accepted by Mercedes.” referring to softly to an extension post-2023.
He seems to be optimistic about the team even though it underperformed the last season and things look glum for them this season. “We don’t have a great car right now but we’re putting one foot in front of the other. We know we can get back to the front. It’s going to be the hardest task we’ve faced together to get back to where we want to be and catch Red Bull. But what an accomplishment that will be!”
He had previously mentioned the Red Bull car, RB19 to be the fastest car he had ever seen on the grid. This, however, is not an issue for Mercedes Boss, Toto Wolff, who seems to be confident that his dear friend, Lewis Hamilton will not be leaving Mercedes soon.
Among rumors floating around linking the 38-year-old to Ferrari, Wolff has clarified that Hamilton will not be leaving the team but certainly might if the team ceases to perform well.