Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari elicits 'very sad' verdict from Mercedes icon

Former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug has admitted that he feels a bit sad to see Lewis Hamilton go to Ferrari and leave the German squad. The 7x champion took the call last season when he decided that it was time for him to switch teams and move to the Italian squad. The British driver had been a part of Mercedes since 2013, when he made the move from McLaren in what was considered a shock at that time as well.

With the German squad, the driver won as many as 6 world championships as the duo dominated the sport from 2014 to 2020. After losing the title to Max Verstappen in the last race of the season in 2021, Lewis Hamilton has not had the opportunity to fight for it again.

Early in 2024 he announced his move to Ferrari for 2025, ending a 13-year partnership with Mercedes. Norbert Haug has had a close relationship with Lewis Hamilton since he was just 14 years of age, being associated with him during his McLaren days. Talking to Sky Germany, Haug admitted he was sad to see the driver leave for the Italian team. He said:

“It’s actually very sad for me, I have to say. I would never have thought that Lewis would switch again. I’ve really known him since he was 14 years old. There really is still a great relationship. I hadn’t seen him for years…and I don’t know. When you’ve worked with people, with racing drivers, for so long, it’s like the first day, as if the last meeting was yesterday."

He added:

“Anyone who thinks that he will give up at 40 and step on the gas less and work less intensively will be wrong. He will give everything [at Ferrari]. I absolutely trust him to deliver the maximum possible performance in the race. And if the car is good, why shouldn’t it work out with the eighth title?”

Norbert Haug on Lewis Hamilton's 'stolen' title

Lewis Hamilton's time at Mercedes has been a bit of a struggle ever since he lost the title in 2021. The driver was on his way to win the title that season in the last race of the season, but the race director's mishandling of the safety car meant that the driver would end up conceding the lead to Max Verstappen, who would eventually win the title.

Since then, Mercedes has been unable to produce a title-contending car, and that was a further push for Hamilton to pursue something different. Talking about the situation of the German team at the moment, Haug said,

“The last few years [have been difficult] since the title we lost in 2021. And that really was a stolen title – there’s no other way to put it – due to the wrong safety car decision at the time, but there was a demolition after that. The car and the team that preceded it suffered many setbacks, including last year. The victories that did come were some at low temperatures.”

Lewis Hamilton is trying to conquer what would be a record 8th world title in F1 at Ferrari. The challenge is certainly huge but it would be interesting to see how he measures up to it with a strong teammate in Charles Leclerc.