After 12 glorious years with the Mercedes F1 team, Lewis Hamilton is all set to depart and start a fresh chapter with Ferrari in 2025. After six titles and 84 Grand Prix wins with the Silver Arrows, it is hard to point out the most exclusive piece of memorabilia from his time with them. That said, last year, one lucky motorsport enthusiast got the chance to possess arguably the origins of a legend.
Earlier this year, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was announced. But in what was probably a foreshadowing of this impending news, the Briton’s first-ever Mercedes car was auctioned in Las Vegas the year before.
Hamilton joined the Brackley-based squad from McLaren in 2013. His first Silver Arrows chassis was the W04. Last year, the car was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s. When the car went under the hammer, it was sold for a staggering $18.8 million.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 race-winning Mercedes W04 just sold at auction for a mind-boggling $18.8M!
What #F1 car would you pay megabucks for? pic.twitter.com/90N44YafVq
— Autosport (@autosport) November 18, 2023
Comparing and contrasting 2013 with 2024, it must be said that his Mercedes departure is getting very bittersweet. Despite all the success he has shared and enjoyed with the team over the years, the final leg of Hamilton’s Mercedes career has been mired in disappointment.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes disillusioned by their failures
The #44 driver’s final season with the Silver Arrows has been an inconsistent outing for sure. He has won two races this season and still, the seven-time world champion will not be looking at 2024 with fondness anytime soon. He’s been struggling with the handling of the W15 once again since the end of the summer break.
It all came to a head at the Sao Paulo GP where it seemed like Hamilton had finally given up on the car and his team. A lack of faith or maybe diverging opinions between Hamilton and Toto Wolff have also been confirmed in a latest book titled ‘Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fastlane‘.
Wolff can be quoted as saying, “We’re in a sport where cognitive sharpness is extremely important and I believe everyone has a shelf life,” as he discusses only offering Hamilton a 1+1 year deal [in 2023] and his eventual move to Ferrari.
But if you were to ask Hamilton, he’d say he was going to leave anyway.
