Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton doesn’t know the reason why he didn’t get a dream move to Ferrari’s F1 team. The seven-time Drivers’ champion thinks every driver dreams of racing for Ferrari and that it wasn’t on the cards for him.
Hamilton says he has a few Ferrari road cars at home, joking that they’ll be the only ones he will get to drive.
“It’s definitely going to be crazy to think that I never drove for Ferrari. Of course, I look at the color and the red, it’s just… it’s still red. I have a couple of Ferraris at home, so I do get to drive a Ferrari, just not the one!
“For everyone, that’s a dream position to be in. It was just never really fully on the cards for me. I’ll never know fully exactly why, but I wish them all the best and I’m going to spend the next bit of my time stopping them from winning the championship!” said Hamilton to Sky Sports.
The Brit has raced for just two teams in F1 – McLaren, and Mercedes. His current stint with Mercedes began in 2013 after spending six seasons with McLaren. The 36-year-old won a single title with McLaren, while the remaining six have come in Mercedes colors.
Hamilton was linked with a move to Ferrari right before he made the switch to Mercedes, but a deal with the Italian team never materalized. He is currently under contract with the German team until 2023, and it’s unlikely that he will ever get the chance to drive with Ferrari, as he will be 38 and may step away from racing.
In the same interview, the British driver revealed that he had thought of retiring a few times in the past, but has found the right balance now. He stated that he will retire from F1 if he becomes slower on the track or is not focused on training.
Hamilton is currently leading the F1 Drivers’ Championship and is in line to win his 8th Drivers’ title – the most by any driver in F1 history. But, he has a strong opponent in Max Verstappen who has pushed the experienced Brit and is just two points behind Hamilton in the standings. The 36-year-old could also take an engine penalty, which would push him to the back of the grid for a race. There are seven races remaining in this year’s F1 calendar.
