Lewis Hamilton is to end the most successful driver-team combination in F1 history when he leaves Mercedes and Anthony Davidson hopes to see one thing at Ferrari.
The 39-year-old has been in Brackley since 2013 when Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes, in what was a highly criticised decision at the time. But while many doubted the move, their instant dominance of the 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid power unit era proved he made the right call.
Between the 2014 and 2020 seasons, only teammate Nico Rosberg could deny Hamilton the drivers’ title. Only a controversial finish to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix thanks to Michael Masi would even see Max Verstappen prevent Hamilton from being an eight-time champion.
Anthony Davidson ‘hopes’ Lewis Hamilton finds his ‘magic’ at Ferrari after Mercedes woes
What Hamilton and Mercedes achieved during those years saw the Briton clinch the records for the most Grand Prix wins (105), pole positions (104), podiums (202), laps led (5,486) and points scored (4,850.5). But one thing even became rare in Hamilton’s last year at Mercedes.
Now, Davidson hopes Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025 sees him rediscover the ‘magic’ the Stevenage-born star seldom showed with Mercedes this year. The Silver Arrows’ rarely had a car with which Hamilton felt he could win races, and it saw his ‘magic’ slip into the shadows.
READ MORE: Seven best drives of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career ahead of Ferrari move
He still produced some noteworthy drives this season, most notably Hamilton’s record ninth British Grand Prix victory. But since starring at Silverstone in July, Davidson feels that ‘magic’ only returned at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and he hopes Hamilton finds it regularly at Ferrari.
“We look to Silverstone, that’s how I’ll remember his season,” Davidson explained on The F1 Show. “That’s how I’ll remember his season. It was an amazing drive.
“We saw Lewis at his absolute best. He knew he was in the hunt, he had a sniff at a chance of a victory and he really came alive. But the last race that I’ve seen him drive like that really was Las Vegas.
“Again, when he knew he had that sniff at a chance and I saw that magic, that Lewis spark re-ignite, and I hope that’s what he can find consistently at Ferrari.”
Lewis Hamilton showed his seven-time championship winning nous to win at Silverstone
Hamilton produced fine drives to secure further podium finishes in his final season driving a Mercedes with P3 results at the Spanish and Hungarian Grand Prix. But his win in the British GP and P2 result at the Las Vegas GP saw Hamilton race at his best and enjoy the rewards.
His win at Silverstone also saw Hamilton show everything that has made the Briton a seven-time drivers’ champion. While teammate George Russell may have taken pole, Hamilton got his first Grand Prix win for 945 days on home soil by judging the mixed conditions brilliantly.
READ MORE: The best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1
While McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had the edge on Mercedes and Hamilton when the raid intensified, it was Hamilton who judged the return to slick tyres the best. The Briton using soft tyres even weathered a late threat from Verstappen on superior hard tyres.
Yet Davidson did not see that magic return until Hamilton stormed from P10 on the grid to a podium finish in the Las Vegas GP. Qualifying was scruffy with lock ups and huge snaps of oversteer in Q3, but he cut through the field with the pace to win with a better starting spot.
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