Lewis Hamilton explains the decision to change his team in the winter, as he expands on mood going into F1 2024 season.
Over the winter, Hamilton just didn’t have a switch from Mercedes to Ferrari for F1 2025, he also had a management change. His deal with Penni Thow and her company Copper ended, as the Brit returned with his former team Marc Hynes.
It was not an easy decision like the Ferrari one, but he did so looking at his own goal of promoting diversity. “It was a difficult winter I would say and very unusual,” said Hamilton in the press conference. “There was a lot of deep thought throughout December, things going on with management which is taking a lot of time to reshape and that’s never an easy process but it’s all amicable and now it is about working on rebuilding my own team.
“I have a lot of things that I want to do and I know exactly what I want to do. It’s about finding good people to add into your team, making sure that it’s diverse and so that’s always at the heart of what I try to maintain to put in place. The January was…everything kind of turned upside down in terms of when the option came.
“There was a lot of time alone trying to make sure you’re doing your due diligence and you’re making the right decision for yourself. And I feel like I’ve made the right decision,” summed up Hamilton, who when asked about time with Mercedes in 2024, he admitted that it will be emotional all-through.
He is excited and seeing the season like he has seen the other seasons, even though there is a tinge of excitement for the project beyond Mercedes. “I’m excited about this year,” said Hamilton. “I know this team is going to win another championship and I’ll be proud to know that I’ve been a part of it because a lot of the things you put in place in terms of how much more diverse our team is, the processes that we go through in the long haul will be always be a part of that process and the development this team is going through.
“But I’m really looking forward to that new challenge, it’s a lot of different emotions that you would experience through that challenge, but it’s one I’m really excited about. I was back at the factory last Monday, it’s full attack, everyone’s all-hands-on-deck. I’ve been with this team such a long time, there’s so much love within the team and I still and always will love this team.
“Everyone was incredibly understanding within the team and hugely supportive and everyone knows that I’m here to deliver for them this year so that’s the focus, it’s the same as any other year. It is emotional and every week will be emotional because the seat fit is the last seat fit for the team and I remember the first one, the winter test is the last winter test that I’ll do with the team. So there’s going to be a lot of emotional experiences through the year but we will do it together,” summed up Hamilton.
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