Lewis Hamilton made the Ferrari move even before the 2024 season began. The seven-time champion had been asking Mercedes for a competitive car, but the team was far from providing it. Now that the Silver Arrows have finally got a quick car and the Scuderia are falling down the cracks, Hamilton gave a verdict on leaving Mercedes on a high.
“I think leaving when the chips are down would be the worst feeling for me, but leaving when the chips are up or on their way up and I’ve been a part of helping progress this car to where it is today and that’s an amazing feeling. So I’m very proud of it and also excited for next year”, said Hamilton after the British GP.
‼️Sir Lewis Hamilton asked “…why are you leaving to ferrari now that mercedes is kinda going up?”
“i think leaving when the chips are down would be the worst feeling for me, but leaving when the chips are up or on their way up and i’ve been a part of helping progress this car… pic.twitter.com/yIjGc4QBHd
— sim (@sim3744) July 15, 2024
Ferrari reached its peak performance this year at the Monaco GP with Charles Leclerc winning the race. However, ever since it’s been a sorry affair for the Maranello team who are just tumbling down the order. They are now the fourth-best team in terms of performance as McLaren and Mercedes have brought a flurry of upgrades since the Miami GP.
Mercedes seems to have fixed its issues with the recent front wing and floor update. Both drivers are happy with the way the car is driving. George Russell took pole in Canada followed by his win at the Austrian GP. Hamilton, who hadn’t won a race in over two years, won the 2024 British GP.
Although a bit of luck and pitstop strategy were involved in Hamilton’s win, towards the end, he beat Norris and Verstappen with pure pace. Yet, Hamilton doesn’t seem to regret his decision to move away from the Silver Arrows. The Brit helped Mercedes get back up and will hopefully do the same for Ferrari.
Mercedes wants to end on a high note with Hamilton
Hamilton has won six championships with Mercedes and helped the team win eight constructor’s championships. The team and driver have broken countless records over the last decade. Yet both are parting ways at the end of the season.
Just like Hamilton wants to leave Mercedes when the chips are up, the team wants to do the same for the Brit. Andrew Shovlin in Mercedes’ British GP Debrief video revealed that it was one of the team’s goals to have Hamilton win a race this year.
While that has already happened at Silverstone, Shovlin and Co. would want to retain this form to perhaps win more races in what would be Hamilton’s final 12 races for the Brackley outfit. Shovlin said, “We said at the start of this year we were determined to go out on a high with Lewis [Hamilton]”.
With the pace that Mercedes has shown and James Allison’s promise of an aggressive upgrade strategy, Hamilton can very well add multiple race wins to his tally before leaving for Ferrari.
