Hamilton Confirms He Wouldn't Have Gone To Ferrari Without Team Principal Vasseur
F1Saturday, 24 February 2024 at 13:00
In an interview during a press conference at pre-season testing in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton confirmed how big of a role a Ferrari team principal played in his decision to join the team.
The decision of the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari after 12 years of driving for Mercedes shocked everyone in the paddock.
The president of the Italian team, John Elkann, was said to play an important role in convincing the 39-year-old. But, it was also suggested that the team principal, Fred Vasseur, was essential in making it happen. Hamilton told the media at Bahrain International Circuit:
"I've got a great relationship with Fred. Obviously, I raced with him in Formula 3, and we had amazing success in Formula 3 and also in GP2, and that's really where the foundation of our relationship started. We just always remained in touch."
Lewis Hamilton is one of few drivers who were able to win both Formula 3 and GP2 (now known as F2) in two consecutive seasons, and he did it with the help of Vasseur, who was then the principal of ASM and ART Grand Prix teams.
"I thought that he was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to Formula 1, but at the time, he wasn't interested in that."
The Frenchman became the team principal of Alfa Romeo on 12 July 2017 and was promoted to Ferrari after Mattia Binotto resigned from his position after the end of the 2022 season.
The team principal and the seven-time World Champion remained in close contact over the years, and Hamilton now admitted his move to Ferrari probably wouldn't have happened without Vasseur. He added:
"It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa [Romeo] team, and then when he got the job at Ferrari, I was just so happy for him, and I think just the stars aligned. I think it really wouldn't have happened without him, so I'm really grateful and really excited about the work that he's doing there."
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