In a recent podcast, the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton revealed he didn't tell anyone about his decision to sign with Ferrari until the day of the actual announcement.
The 39-year-old Mercedes driver signed a contract with his team just last summer. It was then communicated as a two-year deal to the media and public.
Consequently, it was expected that Lewis Hamilton would remain with Mercedes at least until the end of the season in 2025. However, the two seasons for which he signed with Mercedes haven't even begun, and the Briton changed his mind.
Apparently, the seven-time World Champion was presented with a unique opportunity in the form of a lucrative deal at Scuderia Ferrari, and he realized he didn't have too much time in his career to achieve his dream of driving for the red.
There have been rumors multiple times in the past about the Italian team trying to convince Hamilton, but none of them were true. This time, the announcement about the contract came totally out of the blue.
It was partially because the talks between the 39-year-old and Maranello team were kept strictly secret. Speaking as part of the new BBC podcast series 'F1: Back at Base,' Hamilton revealed he didn't even tell his parents about the contract until the day of the announcement.
"I didn't speak to anybody. I didn't tell my parents till the day of it being announced. So, no one knew. I really wanted to do it for myself. Ultimately, I had to find out what would be the best for me."
Hamilton will obviously be going to Ferrari with ambitions of achieving his eighth World Championship title with the Italian team. No driver, no World Champion, was able to do that in the last 15 years. Could the British driver do it?