Lewis Hamilton will end his 12-year association with Mercedes after the 2024 season concludes and move to Ferrari. Frustrations with Mercedes’ performance and his desire to compete for wins again were reportedly the motivation for Hamilton to complete this switch. According to Alex Brundle, however, there are other “non-sporting” factors.
Hamilton reportedly earned $50 million a season at Mercedes. He extended his contract in 2023, for two more seasons, but just months later, signed a new deal with Ferrari that would reportedly see him get a $100 million annual payment. Brundle feels that it is “human nature” to go after a move like this.
“Offer to double anyone’s money. Whether you’re making 200 quid a day and are offered 400 quid. Or you’re making 50 million and are offered a 100. Doesn’t matter,” said Brundle in The Racing Pilot podcast. “Offer to double someone’s money, it’s clearly an incentive.”
Brundle acknowledged that Mercedes’ underperformance played its part in making Hamilton leave the Silver Arrows. He recalled Mercedes’ frustrating ordeal in Melbourne last month, where Hamilton had to retire before he could even try fighting with a rather uncompetitive car at his disposal.
Incidents like this piling up, in addition to a lucrative offer from Ferrari motivated the Briton to move away from the Brackley-based outfit, per Brundle.
Lewis Hamilton’s woeful start to 2023
Earlier this season, Hamilton admitted that 2024’s start has been the worst of his career so far. In the first four races, his best finish has been P7, which he achieved in Bahrain and Japan. In Jeddah, he finished P9 and that was followed by a DNF in Melbourne.
To add to his woes, George Russell, his teammate seems to be in a much more comfortable position. The 26-year-old is getting in much better results and is 14 points ahead of Hamilton in the championship standings.
Hamilton doesn’t have to worry about Mercedes’ performances beyond 2024. However, a driver of his caliber struggling to come close to the top three is surprising. Former F1 boss Peter Windsor also feels that Hamilton has to sort his problems out at Mercedes, before heading over to Ferrari.
At Ferrari, the seven-time world champion will be dealing with a completely new environment. If he doesn’t get out of his slump now, life could become difficult for him at Maranello.
