Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move for 2025 could very well change the dynamic he has with Mercedes. Despite 2024 being his 12th season with the Silver Arrows, Hamilton’s departure will force the hand of the team to start alienating him. Ex-F1 driver, Martin Brundle believes that Mercedes will stop inviting the 39-year-old to strategy meetings and will keep him in the dark about crucial aspects of the car to protect their secrets from Ferrari in the future.
Naturally, with the Briton cut off from the developmental side of things at Brackley, he would be at a disadvantage. Without any real idea about the inherent characteristics of the evolving W15, the seven-time world champion would find it hard to tune it to his liking, in terms of setup or otherwise. This could lead to a drastic fall in performance.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Brundle explained, “Lewis [Hamilton] will stop being invited to meetings, will not what’s going on with development of the car, in the simulator.” Brundle even suggests that consciously or subconsciously, Mercedes will end up favoring George Russell over the Briton. “They’ve got to,” concluded the Briton.
Keeping the best future interests of the team in mind, this makes sense. On the other hand, the driver they would be pushing aside is Hamilton, one of the best ever. The seven-time world champion’s inputs and insights on development could be significant, and help them make strides this season. Mercedes opting out of it could have major ramifications in terms of their performance this year, and beyond.
Mercedes have a tough call to make with “emotional” Lewis Hamilton
Despite sealing an iconic $400 million move with Ferrari for 2025, Hamilton is committed to giving his all to Mercedes one last time. At the W15 launch event, Hamilton revealed just how much of an emotional rollercoaster the last few weeks have been for him.
Hamilton said (as quoted by Sports Illustrated), “It’s obviously been emotional. It’s very surreal to be here, given that I came here in 2013 – 11 years with the team, starting my 12th.” Naturally, he would want to end his Mercedes career with that elusive 8th title in the bag.
A race win for George Russell in 2022, but a better season for Lewis Hamilton in 2023.
Which driver performs the most in 2024? #Russell #Hamilton #Mercedes #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/lKrx0aHTyI
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) December 13, 2023
That being said, it is going to be a tough call to make for Mercedes. If they do focus their efforts into giving Hamilton his 8th title, they would have to have an open, transparent and collaborative relationship with him. But is the team ready to risk crucial information getting leaked to Ferrari when Hamilton eventually jumps ship? Or would they rather focus on getting Russell ready to lead the team from 2025 onwards?
In any case, the team will have to delicately manage the inter-team rivalry in 2024. With Hamilton on his way out and Russell eager to establish himself as Mr. Mercedes, the gloves at Brackley are finally off.
