Damon Hill opens up on Lewis Hamilton’s reasons for leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari. Damon Hill reflects on why Hamilton wants to make his Ferrari move.

The anticipation begins
Thanks to the activation of a release clause in the two-year contract signed with Mercedes in 2023, Lewis Hamilton will leave the team with which he has competed for twelve consecutive seasons to join Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign. A choice that surprised many, especially considering the official announcement made a year in advance and even before the unveiling of the W15.

Among the most common opinions regarding the decision made by the British driver is the desire to end his career with a historic and special team like Ferrari, which represents a childhood dream for the 39-year-old. Yet, according to another world champion like Damon Hill, there are also other factors that have driven #44 to make the dream of wearing the red racing suit a reality.

Another motivation?
Speaking on Sky Sports, the 63-year-old believes that beyond the allure of the Prancing Horse, there are also positive signs of the Maranello team’s growing competitiveness: “Lewis has taken control of his career and his direction – he explained – it’s not like Mercedes told him, ‘Oh, we’ve hired someone else,’ as happened to me. I think, with this decision, we know it’s a given regarding the benefits of the Ferrari brand and all the other things that come with it: the romance, the history, and everything else. But I believe there’s more, and that is, it seemed to me that there was recent evidence that Ferrari was starting to solidify as a competitive package.” – the 1996 Formula 1 world champion pointed out.

‘Imitating’ Lewis Hamilton
The former Brabham, Williams, Arrows and Jordan driver then noticed a change at Scuderia Ferrari already in the fight for 2nd place in the last Constructors’ Championship with Mercedes, adding a ‘pro-Hamilton’ perspective: “They were starting to put the components together and get results. I think that if you could choose between Mercedes giving you the same equipment and Ferrari, I would prefer to go to Ferrari and try something different.” – Damon Hill concluded.

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