Peter Sauber reveals how close Lewis Hamilton was to joining Sauber in 2007. Peter Sauber reveals an untold story from Formula 1.

Lewis Hamilton’s debut in Formula 1

In 2006, Lewis Hamilton was crowned GP2 champion, showcasing all the talent that McLaren and Ron Dennis had believed in since the British driver was just 12 years old. The Woking-based team handed him a full-time race seat for the 2007 season, a bold decision given that McLaren was one of the reference teams in the paddock.

Faced with replacing Kimi Raikkonen — who had moved to Ferrari to take over from Michael Schumacher — as well as the Montoya and De la Rosa pairing, Ron Dennis chose the reigning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and lined him up alongside the 22-year-old Lewis Hamilton.

It was a pairing that immediately sparked fireworks and ultimately lasted just a single world championship.

Peter Sauber’s secret revealed in Abu Dhabi

Peter Sauber was present in Abu Dhabi to say goodbye to his former team and to definitively close the era of the Sauber name in Formula 1. From next season, the team will be called Audi, and even the initial “C” in the car designation will disappear — a letter the Swiss manager had chosen as a tribute to his wife Christiane.

Sauber met Roger Benoit, a long-serving journalist from Blick, to share his final secret: a previously untold anecdote from his long career in Formula 1.

This is Sauber’s story: “Practically no one knows that around 20 years ago Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of racing for Sauber. He was a McLaren driver, and they wanted to send him to Hinwil for his apprenticeship. So a McLaren delegation met Lewis and his father Anthony, me, and our lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn at Kloten Airport.”

Sauber was negotiating with Lewis Hamilton specifically for the 2007 season: “The deal eventually fell through because McLaren wanted to loan him out for just one season, while we insisted on a two-year loan.”