F1: Matt Whyman reveals more on Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season after twelve years of massive success.

As has been known for nearly a year, Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season after twelve years of massive success with the Brackley-based team.

The seven-time world champion, also motivated by the team’s recent decline, seized the chance to accept Frederic Vasseur‘s offer and finally fulfill his dream of driving for Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton will now get the chance to wear red as he approaches forty, with a lucrative contract binding him to the Scuderia for at least the next three seasons.

But it would be wrong to interpret his decision as a mere whim.

A difficult decision
“His team is very important to him,” said Matt Whyman, author of “Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane,” in an interview with The Mirror.

“All his engineers, Bono, the whole team—they mean a lot to him. Every year he takes them out for paintball as a preseason bonding experience, and this year was no different.  He told me he arrived and saw everyone waiting to go in. He said he couldn’t get out of his car for 20 minutes. He was so moved, wondering, ‘What am I going to say to them after all this time?’” – he pointed out.

According to the British author, Lewis Hamilton carefully weighed the pros and cons of his decision: “Lewis is very human. I don’t think it was a robotic decision. I know Lewis can appear highly focused, and it’s a deliberate choice, but he’s human. He knows there are consequences, and the friendships were what mattered most to him. Talking to his colleagues, I believe everyone understands. It’s Ferrari, and this is someone who has achieved everything. It’s the one thing he hasn’t done.”

Even Toto Wolff, reflecting months after the news broke, admitted he didn’t try to block the British driver’s decision: “I think if someone decides to leave, then you have to let them go. I spoke to Pep Guardiola a long time ago—he’s a friend. I asked him, ‘What do you do if a player wants to leave?’ and he replied, ‘What do you mean?’ I asked, ‘Do you try to convince them to stay?’ He told me that if someone thinks they can play better elsewhere or earn more, you have to let them go. It’s the same philosophy I embrace here: if someone wants to leave, we try to ensure the best possible situation for everyone involved so we can decide what happens next.” – the Mercedes team principal concluded.