Hamilton not regretting Ferrari move despite Mercedes F1 gains

Lewis Hamilton is adamant that he does not regret his impending move to Ferrari next term despite the progress Mercedes has made across recent Formula 1 races.

Hamilton activated an exit clause in his Mercedes deal prior to the season commencing to complete a tantalising switch to partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025.

The Briton’s choice was looking like a masterstroke earlier in the campaign as Ferrari challenged Red Bull and Mercedes struggled with an inconsistent W15 machine.

However, Mercedes has since overcome its issues to log podiums at the previous two rounds, while Ferrari has appeared to slip down the pecking order with updates.

RelatedPosts

Charles Leclerc delivers ‘don’t have a chance’ verdict on Ferrari prospects for F1 Italian GP

5 hours ago

Why Ferrari opted against using Lewis Hamilton to tow Charles Leclerc in F1 Italian GP qualifying

5 hours ago

But Hamilton has denied that he harbours concerns he was too quick to give up on the German marque and is not “second-guessing” his decision to depart the squad.

Asked whether he was having second thoughts amid the two sides’ contrasting fortunes in recent rounds, Hamilton, who came third in Spain, answered: “No, not at all.

“I mean, firstly, I love Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13 and I’ll always be a fan and a supporter of Mercedes.

“My job this year is right now is to work as hard as I can with the crew that I have, the people back at the factory to try and move and develop the car in the right direction.

“And so ultimately, whatever course that we, and trajectory the team is on, for next year for example, there are things that I’ve hopefully been a part of and be proud of being a part of.

“My job will start next year with the other team who I think are doing a great job.

“I think they’ve had a couple of difficult races, but let’s not forget they had a race win in Monaco.

“I can’t tell you what is wrong with their car and why they are in the position they’re in today, but they did bring an upgrade here and I think they are definitely progressing.

“So yeah, but it doesn’t make me second-guess my decision at all.”

The Briton’s 198th visit to the podium last weekend was his first rostrum appearance since last October, but he’s still not stood on the top step since December 2021.

Hamilton, though, is not getting caught up with wanting to end his Mercedes stint with a triumph as he insists that more progress is needed to battle the sides ahead.

Questioned on how important it was to sign out at the Bracklet-based squad with a record-extending win, Hamilton responded: “I mean, it’s not that it’d be nice.

“But I think considering where we’ve come from, I think yeah, just having consistency and seeing if we can put the team further up in the points, I think would be the target.

“I think right now, let’s just try and have more consistent weekends like this and then we’ll see. But we are yet currently in a position to be able to fight for wins.

“You would say that maybe Montreal, I mean, George probably should have won that one, but if I’d qualified where I feel I should have, yeah, there’s potential also there too.

“So we’ll see in the next few races. I think we’ve got these high-speed circuits, you know, the McLaren’s always been quick and the Red Bull has been quick in A1 Ring.

“Silverstone, they’ll also be very fast there, but I’m hoping that we are able to eke a little bit closer to them and give them a bit more trouble in the next four or five races.

“And then, you know, we’ve just got to keep bringing upgrades, we’ve got to keep improving the car.

“There’s a clear improvement and there’s just clear areas where we need to bolt on performance so that we can be in the fight again.”