Hamilton: Childhood Ferrari dream stems from Schumacher،
Lewis Hamilton has said his desire to drive for Ferrari dates back to his childhood, when he played Formula 1 video games under the name Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton shocked the F1 world earlier this month by announcing he would leave his contract with Mercedes a year early to drive for Ferrari in 2025.
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Ferrari has not won a drivers' championship since Kimi Raikkonen beat Hamilton to the title in 2007, and its last period of sustained success was with Schumacher between 2000 and 2004.
In an Instagram post earlier this month, Hamilton said driving for Ferrari in F1 was a “childhood dream” – a theme he expanded on during a press conference during pre-testing. season Friday.
“I think for every driver, I think growing up, watching history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think we probably all sit in our garage and see the screen come up, and you see the pilot in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it might be like to be surrounded by red,” he said.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the red sea of Ferrari fans, and you can't help but be impressed.
“It’s a team that hasn’t really had much success since, especially obviously since the Michael days, but obviously since 2007, and I saw that as a huge challenge.
“Without a doubt, even as a kid, I played Grand Prix 2 [a computer game] like Michael in that car.
“So it’s definitely a dream, and I’m really excited about it.”
Hamilton's contract with Mercedes was announced as a two-year deal when he signed last August, but the seven-time champion opted to activate an exit clause at the end of 2024.
Asked what had changed in his mind over the winter, Hamilton added: “Obviously we signed in the summer, and at that time I saw my future with Mercedes, but an opportunity presented itself in the new year and I decided to take it.”
“It was obviously the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I've been at Mercedes for about 26 years, I think; they've supported me and we've had an absolutely incredible journey together.”
“We created history together in sports, and that's something I'm very proud of and very proud of what we've accomplished. I think at the end of the day, I'm writing my story and I'm I felt it was just time to start a new chapter.
Hamilton is known to have owned three Ferrari road cars since becoming a Formula 1 driver – including a Ferrari 599 GTO which he bought in 2010 – but said he had never visited the famous factory. the team in Maranello, Italy.
“I bought my first Ferrari in 2010, I think. It was my first gift, but I don't have it anymore,” Hamilton said.
“But I couldn't go there during that time, being with [McLaren] Mercedes, I didn't think it was a good idea at the time.
Hamilton also revealed that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur played a central role in his decision to switch teams.
Vasseur was Hamilton's team boss at ART GP in Formula 3 in 2005 and GP2 in 2006 and was appointed Ferrari boss by Alfa Romeo early last year.
“I have a great relationship with Fred,” Hamilton said. “Obviously I raced for him in Formula 3 and we had incredible success in Formula 3 as well as GP2, and that’s really where the foundations of our relationship began.
“We always stayed in touch, and I thought he was going to become an incredible team manager at some point and progress in Formula 1, but at the time he wasn't interested.
“It was pretty cool to see him come into the Alfa Romeo team [in 2017]and then when he got the job at Ferrari, I was so happy for him.
“I think the stars aligned, this really wouldn't have happened without him, and I'm just really grateful and really excited about the work that he's doing there.”
