Lewis Hamilton still remembers his days with McLaren and how he won his first-ever championship with the Woking-based brigade. Despite coming to Mercedes and spending a decade, Hamilton’s love for the British team is still intact as he calls them his “old home” amid its painful times.
Speaking to the media, Hamilton said he always looks at his old team and looks at where they are in the sport. He also said that being a former driver, the Woking-based team “is like an old home to” him.
Lewis Hamilton still has a lot of love for the team he took his first title with 🏆#Hamilton #Mercedes #McLaren #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/yig3cpXzML
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) April 10, 2023
Despite winning eight titles with Mercedes in ten years, the team from Woking will always be special and home to him, he added. The seven-time world champion is also worried about their current status and said, “hope they sort things out to get back to the team they once were.”
McLaren is going through a rough phase now. A phase that is staying for a long time now. With no signs of improvement, the team is drowning with every race without any signs of improvement.
Hamilton recalls making the risky move away from McLaren
It was 2013 when the man from Stevenage made his move away from Woking to Brackley. Now, in 2023 Briton remembers how risky the move was given the two years were in the exact opposite situation as they are right now.
From a race-winning McLaren, Hamilton decided to move to mid-table Mercedes. While many called it a risky move, others questioned the motive behind this unusual decision.
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren; Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari; Sepang, 2007. Photo Teh Eng Koon. #F1 pic.twitter.com/EHaoD1GUTx
— Demetriou Neto (@NetoDemetriou) April 10, 2023
The 38-year-old revealed that he made a risky move, but in the end, he had to make it and find a new place to go with. However, he also added that he never had a second thought about making the much-talked-about move.
How did the move away from McLaren benefit the Briton?
Coming into 2023, the move makes a lot of sense. While many people never imagined things to turn out like this, it all clicked so perfectly for legend Lewis Hamilton.
Coming from McLaren as a one-time world champion, the 38-year-old picked up six more championships and multiple accolades with the German team.
Moreover, the Woking-based team started going down the trajectory after the hybrid era. Their best finish has come in P3 in 2020, whereas the worst was P9 in 2015.
