Lewis Hamilton has revealed how he took satisfaction from his success in F1 with Mercedes after being warned that his “career was over” after leaving McLaren. Hamilton won the first of his joint-record seven World Championships with McLaren in 2008, yet decided to leave four years later for a Mercedes team with just one race victory in three seasons. The move came as a major shock, with a number of observers claiming Hamilton was gambling with his career by joining such an unproven team.
Hamilton’s decision proved inspired when Mercedes emerged as F1’s dominant force in 2014, with the British driver winning six titles in seven years to equal Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven Championships in 2020. Hamilton then became the first driver in history to surpass 100 race wins and pole positions the following year, when he was dethroned by Max Verstappen at the highly controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi. Having suffered two winless seasons across 2022/23, Hamilton – who announced in February that he would end his long association with Mercedes to join Ferrari next year – has returned to the top step of the podium in F1 2024 by winning at Silverstone and Spa.
👉 Revealed: The remarkable 36-hour timeline behind Lewis Hamilton’s shock Ferrari move 👉 Lewis Hamilton now finally has a chance to escape the ghosts of Abu Dhabi 2021 Appearing on the Performance People podcast, Hamilton described his decision to join Mercedes as the most pivotal moment of.