Alexandre
Just as he seemed destined to end his career as a Formula 1 at Mercedes, especially after the announcement of a new contract extension to September 2023 with the German team, Lewis Hamilton has finally decided to sign up with Ferrari for the 2025 season. However, this surprise transfer did not come about by chance: Frédéric VasseurFerrari's team manager, has just revealed in the documentary Drive to Survive the exact date of the first contact with the seven-time world champion, a moment which deeply embarrassed the British driver.
An unexpected phone call
According to Frédéric Vasseur, it all began at the Monaco 2023 Grand Prix on May 28:
"We started talking in Monaco on my birthday. I immediately realized that it was possible".
He points out that Hamilton's dream of riding for the Scuderia was not new. For its part, the Maranello-based company was looking to strengthen its line-up for 2025. With Mercedes marking time, Ferrari took advantage of an exit clause in Lewis Hamilton's contract to convince him to join the Italian team.
Frédéric Vasseur insists that Hamilton had always kept in mind the idea of driving for the Scuderia:
"I knew he wanted it; it had been there for a long time. It couldn't happen for 2024, because we already had our two drivers under contract, but for 2025, all the planets aligned."
The decisive point for the Ferrari boss? Get his hands on one of the most successful drivers in history, and team him up with Charles Leclerc:
"For me, the Lewis-Charles duo was the key to our project."
Shock and embarrassment for Hamilton
Until Fred Vasseur called in the winter of 2023, Lewis Hamilton was convinced that he would probably never drive for Ferrari. The Briton vividly remembers that call with Frédéric Vasseur:
"When I hung up, I was almost shaking. I said to myself, "Oh boy!" I'd just signed for Mercedes..."
The unexpected offer plunged him into deep embarrassment, but also into intense reflection:
"I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. After that moment, I knew it was the right decision for me."
By joining Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton hopes to write a new chapter in his career and bring back to Maranello a title that has eluded the Scuderia for several years. It also takes the pressure off Charles Leclerc, who seemed to carry the team on his shoulders.