Lewis Hamilton shed light on why his previous conversations with Ferrari never resulted in his joining the most famous team in Formula 1.
A connection between the sport’s most popular driver and the historic Ferrari name would have obvious appeal. And, as Ferrari recently noted on social media, Hamilton’s Mercedes deal hasn’t stopped him from driving their street cars.
Although Hamilton’s Mercedes contract expires at the end of this year, he is expected to stay with the team. Ferrari has already confirmed its drivers for the 2021 F1 season. Hamilton told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he was “never really close” to signing with Scuderia on previous occasions for various reasons.
“We have spoken occasionally but we have no more than understood which options were on the table and which were not the right ones,” said Hamilton.
He pointed out that part of the reason a deal had never materialized was because the end of his contract didn’t coincide with a vacancy at Maranello.
“Our positions have never aligned,” he said. “I think timing is important and things happen in the end for a reason.
“In the last few seasons my contract always expired in different years than for all other drivers. In the end it went like this. “
2021 F1 drivers and teamsEarlier this year, Hamilton urged Ferrari to “hold itself accountable” for the diversity of the team’s workforce, prompting a response from the team’s chairman, John Elkann.
Hamilton said he warned Mercedes when he joined them from McLaren in 2013. He wanted more opportunities to express himself than he had on the previous team.
“I’ve grown a lot at McLaren, but they had certain expectations of how a driver would behave and that contrasted with the fact that I’ve always been an outsider, a nonconformist,” he said.
“Before I signed with Mercedes, I said, ‘Look, I’m different from others. Let me be myself, let me experience [things] because I have to find out who I am. In any case, I will help you and make the brand grow better in the world of young people. “And that’s exactly what happened. “
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2020 F1 season
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