Lewis Hamilton explains why it would have been a ‘risk’ to stay at Mercedes after first Ferrari outing

Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his Mercedes exit after making his first appearance as a Ferrari driver. The seven-time world champion reported to Maranello this week to formally begin work.

That came almost a year after Ferrari announced the bombshell signing of Hamilton. He opted out of the second year of his Mercedes contract.

The August 2023 extension seemed like a fresh commitment from both parties. But Hamilton decided it was time to bring the record-shattering partnership to an end.

He won six titles at Brackley, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record of five at Ferrari. They were largely untouchable between 2014 and 2020, with only teammate Nico Rosberg able to interrupt Hamilton’s streak.

However, Mercedes lost ground at the start of F1’s ground-effect era in 2022 and they’ve never really recovered it. While there have been occasional highlights, above all Hamilton’s emotional win at the British GP, it’s been a mostly painful period for the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton will be replaced by one of the youngest F1 drivers in Kimi Antonelli. Toto Wolff has taken an eye-catching gamble on the Mercedes academy graduate, who was born just a year before Hamilton’s debut.

Lewis Hamilton feared ‘complacent’ scenario if he stayed at Mercedes any longer

Speaking to LinkedIn newsletter Get Hired, Hamilton reflected on his ‘leap of faith’. He admits there’s an inherent risk in changing teams.

But he also believes that staying at Mercedes could have backfired. A driver can grow ‘complacent’ when they become too ‘comfortable’ in their surroundings.

George Russell said Hamilton needed a fresh start and it seems the 40-year-old agrees. He views the new challenge as invigorating.

It was a ‘gut feeling’ that led him to join Ferrari, but he has ‘total’ confidence. His move to Mercedes was widely questioned following the 2012 announcement, but proved to be a masterstroke.

• READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

“Ultimately, every new opportunity is a total leap of faith,” he said. “None of us can predict the future so changing jobs, or in my case teams, is always going to come with some level of risk.

“But I believe there’s more of a risk in staying somewhere you’re comfortable and in getting complacent.

“Call it instinct or a gut feeling, but I knew that signing with Ferrari was the right move for me and that it would give me the challenge I needed. There are so many incredible people in the team that I can’t wait to work with, and I have total faith that we’ll achieve great things together.”

Anthony Hamilton shares the change he’s seen in his son before Ferrari move

Hamilton has dreamed of Ferrari for at least 20 years, which may also have played a role in his decision. Given his age, this was likely his last opportunity to join the Scuderia.

Ferrari had finished behind Mercedes in 2023, only weeks before Hamilton made his decision. But Fred Vasseur’s squad came within 14 points of winning the title last year, while Wolff’s team were nearly 200 off the pace.

According to his father Anthony, Hamilton trained like ‘mad’ over the winter to prepare for Ferrari. That reflects his renewed focus and motivation.

One could argue that things became stale for Hamilton at his old team. He only scored five podiums in 24 races, and lost out to more youthful teammate Russell.