Lewis Hamilton surprised fans and critics alike after he decided to move to Ferrari in 2025. With this, he will pull away from the bond that he shared with Mercedes for over a decade. So, what could have brought Hamilton to such a place where he had to leave a team that helped him with the highest of successes in his career? Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has recently shared his thoughts.
Palmer sat with Jennie Gow and Andrew Benson recently to discuss Hamilton‘s move to Ferrari and debated why the seven-time world champion could have made the decision. Speaking about it, he said on the F1 Chequered Flag podcast, “Well, I think he [Hamilton] obviously lost a bit of faith in them to leave the team [Mercedes.]”
“Then suddenly you’re Mercedes and you’re looking around and thinking we’ve lost our star driver. They probably took him for granted a bit in the last couple of seasons and when George Russell has come in, done a good job, very close with Lewis overall, but the numbers will say that Lewis is still stronger,’ added Palmer.
Following this, Palmer emphasized how the Silver Arrows presumably landed in a place of confusion about whether to focus on Russell, the man for the future, or both him and Hamilton. “They were looking around thinking, do we build around Russell this year, this is our crunch time. Is George gonna be our guy in the future,” explained Palmer.
The former driver also mentioned Mercedes tried to find a replacement for Hamilton within the grid but failed as there weren’t many options to replace the 39-year-old. Meanwhile, Gow and Benson also agreed with Palmer and stated that Mercedes taking Hamilton for granted could have resulted in the Briton deciding to move to Ferrari.
Other factors that played a key role in Lewis Hamilton’s move away from Mercedes
Jolyon Palmer then also shared his thoughts about the kind of contract extension Lewis Hamilton signed with Mercedes. As per Palmer, the terms of the contract showed Mercedes’ unwillingness to hold onto the seven-time world champion for a long time.
The 39-year-old reportedly wanted a long-term deal with the Silver Arrows. Moreover, he also wanted a brand ambassador role with the German manufacturers till 2035.
Mercedes declined both of them and only offered the star driver a one-year extension and an option for another year. This deal ended up hurting Mercedes as Hamilton eventually decided to activate the release clause at the end of this year and jump to Ferrari in 2025.
Ferrari are reportedly offering Lewis Hamilton a staggering $435 million multi-year deal. With this, they also agreed on the brand ambassador role for him as well as the necessary sponsorship payments for his Mission 44 and other initiatives altogether.
