Lewis Hamilton has refuted the notion that his departure from Mercedes is a result of diminished confidence in the team’s competitive edge.
Following two years of problematic vehicle designs in the W13 and W14, the Silver Arrows rolled out the more traditionally engineered W15, setting a solid foundation for what will be Hamilton’s concluding year with them in 2024.
Set to join Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton has framed the move as fulfilling a “childhood dream”, motivated by the aspiration to lead Ferrari back to championship glory.
Confronted with questions about whether his move reflects a waning trust in Mercedes, Hamilton unequivocally dismissed such speculation, expressing steadfast belief in Mercedes’ capacity to clinch future victories.
“I’m 100% a Mercedes driver right now, that’s my sole focus this year, and as I said, I don’t want to have any of this distract me from doing the job for this team,” said the seven-time world champion.
“I want to finish on a high. I think there’s been a huge amount of work over the winter, and I have so much faith in this team.
“I see the motivation in everybody that I’ve worked with for so many years. It’s not just a normal driver partnering. There’s no other team that’s had what we’ve had.
“There’s no other team that’s achieved what we’ve achieved, and the relationships I have with the people within my team go very deep, so my goal is to deliver for them.
“And this year, if I can have the best year in terms of delivery that I’ve ever had, that would be… I’d be really happy with that.
“Next year, I’ve got all new relationships, a whole new environment, new language, everything, so it’s two separate things and both just as exciting.
“I truly believe that this team is going to win another championship. It’s an incredible group of people and it’s really well run.
“Mercedes has such an incredible history and from the board down, they are ultimately really heavily invested in racing and in so many areas, regardless of whether or not this is a championship-winning car. that won’t have any bearing on how I feel about the next stage of my career.
“It’s all about a new chapter in my life, and I really feel like I’ve done everything I could possibly do with this team.
“I’m on the back end of my career. I love a challenge, and this is the ultimate challenge, really, to go to a team that is incredibly iconic, has also amazing history, but also has not had as much success, I guess, as they would have hoped in the past decade or so.”
