Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari: F1 champion insists 'evidence' was there ahead of shock move

Lewis Hamilton talking to Frederic Vasseur — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 champion insists 'evidence' was there ahead of shock Hamilton move

The seven-time world champion has made the switch to Ferrari for the 2025 season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 4 February 2024 10:55

1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has praised Lewis Hamilton for 'taking command' of his career by choosing to ditch Mercedes for Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion will team up with the Maranello-based outfit in 2025, ending the iconic partnership between the Brit and Mercedes, who claimed six drivers' world titles together.

While Hamilton's switch to Ferrari came as a huge shock for the F1 world, the Brit has revealed his desire to challenge himself elsewhere, and he will be hoping that he has now given himself a few more years to fight for an unprecedented eighth world title.

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Michael Schumacher managed to claim five of his seven world championships in the red of Ferrari, and Hamilton may be seeking to recreate a similar bond with the devoted Ferrari fans as the German managed.

Lewis Hamilton has decided to make the switch to Ferrari in 2025

Michael Schumacher won five world championship titles with Ferrari

Hill outlines Hamilton differences

Now, Hill has been reacting to Hamilton's stunning switch, a switch that had a similar impact to the 39-year-old's move from McLaren to Mercedes back in 2013.

“Lewis has taken command of his career and his direction,” Hill said in a discussion on Sky Sports.

“It’s not like Mercedes have said to him, ‘Oh, we’ve signed someone else’, which is what happened with me," the Brit said referencing Williams' desire to replace the world champion in 1996.

“But I think that, this decision, we know it’s a given [regarding] the Ferrari benefits of the brand and all the other things that come with [it], the romance and the history and all of that, it’s a given.

"But I think there’s more to this, which is I thought there was evidence that Ferrari were starting to solidify as a competitive package."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Damon Hill