When Lewis Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, it left many in disbelief. Fans and critics claimed the Briton is making a wrong decision by leaving a winning outfit for a midfield team. However, fast-forward to today, Hamilton has added six world championships to his resume with Mercedes’ help.
Much to McLaren’s dismay, the driver’s move coincided with their own downfall. McLaren slipped from being 3rd best team in 2012 to 5th in 2013 and 9th in 2015. However, the team has improved considerably in the last few seasons and has developed into a solid mid-table team that can fight for strong points on a consistent basis.
Although it’s been a decade since he left his old team, Hamilton claims he still has a soft corner for his old team. The 103 GP-winning driver admits he secretly hopes McLaren finds its winning form back.
Lewis Hamilton wants McLaren to improve
Lewis Hamilton won his first world championship title with McLaren in 2008. The British team sponsored the driver’s junior Formula career and gave him his F1 debut in 2007 when he announced his arrival on the world stage by fighting for the championship in his rookie season. Hence, even after leaving the team, the 7x world champion retained a strong liking for the Woking-based team.
He revealed in an interview with Channel 4, “I like looking at McLaren, I always check where they are because that was where I started and I’m always wishing them well even though they’re competitors of mine.”
The Briton admits he still checks in on his old team at times to gauge their progress. “There will be days when they’re down and I feel sad for them because, that’s where I first did my simulation rounds, drove my car for the first time.”
In terms of Championship wins, McLaren is the third-most successful team in F1 history, making them an iconic name in the sport. They have won 183 races, 12 drivers’ titles and 8 constructors’ championships.
Hamilton remains the team’s last world champion. He hopes his old team can finally return to their glory days and challenge his team Mercedes for the title. “I kind of want them to do well, so I hope they have a better year next year,” he said.
Why did Hamilton leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2012?
Towards the end of 2012, relations between Lewis Hamilton and McLaren had worsened. The Briton was unhappy with the team’s lack of ambition and the performance deficit to challenge Red Bull in the title fight.
At the same time, Hamilton received an offer from Niki Lauda and Ross Brawn to join Mercedes, who joined F1 in 2010. With the legendary Michael Schumacher retiring at the end of the 2012 season, a vacant seat was left to be filled and Lauda was adamant about landing Hamilton’s services.
Both, Brawn and Lauda tried their best to convince the driver to join the Silver Arrows. Lauda prevailed in the end as he hit the nail when he shared that Hamilton had a chance at becoming the first driver to win the title with Mercedes, something that would forever be etched onto the history books.
This was enough for the 7x champion to finalize his move to the Brackley-based team. In 2014, in just his 2nd season with Mercedes, Hamilton won the championship as the Silver Arrows made a monumental leap in the turbo hybrid era. He would achieve 5 more titles with Mercedes, rewriting records and forever cementing his name as one of the all time greats.
