Sir Lewis Hamilton gave a huge shock to Mercedes and the fans when he announced his switch to Ferrari. He has been with the Silver Arrows for over a decade. Moreover, the collaboration between Hamilton and the Brackley team has been the most successful in the sport’s history. The German team helped the great British racer become the most decorated F1 Driver ever. No other racer in the sport’s history has won more than 100 F1 races. He is the only one to accomplish this great feat. Moreover, Hamilton has won seven Driver’s World championships, as did the German great Michael Schumacher.
On the other hand, if it were not for Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes would never become a powerhouse in the sport like it is today. From 2014 to 2021, there was no stopping Mercedes. In the turbo-hybrid era, Hamilton won six Driver’s World titles. However, since 2022, Mercedes managed to win only one race so far. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton remained winless in the last two seasons. Finally, the seven-time champion realized it was time to move on. Since Hamilton made the official announcement, Mercedes and Ferrari had an interesting time in their hiring department.
Mercedes Landed A Couple Of Engineers From Ferrari
Recently, Motorsport.com reported that the Silver Arrows have signed Simone Resta and Enrico Sampo to join their technical team. Previously, they have been important members of the Maranello engineering team. However, it is not just Toto Wolff’s team that has been doing all the hiring, as Ferrari also signed a few Mercedes people. Since the deal between the Scuderia and Lewis Hamilton was made public, Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio have joined the Italian team. Anyway, Simone Resta has been a key figure in the Ferrari team. Moreover, Resta has also worked under James Allison from 2014 to 2018 as a chief designer. Now, both will reunite in the Mercedes camp. Anyway, Resta also worked as a technical director in the Alfa Romeo team back in 2018.
Then, he returned to Ferrari the next year. But later, the Scuderia loaned him out to Haas from 2021 to 2023 as their technical director. When Resta will join Mercedes, he will be their Strategic Development Director. Then, after a long time, he will work very closely with James Allison. Their collaboration will help bolster the car’s development. On the other hand, Enrico Sampo will join Mercedes as the Head of Performance Software Applications. Previously, he worked as the Driver Simulator Team Leader of Ferrari. He has done that in the last couple of seasons. However, the contract situation of both engineers is such that they might not start working for Mercedes before 2026.
Lewis Hamilton Looking Forward To A Fresh Challenge At Ferrari
The seven-time champion feels racing for the most successful team in the sport’s history is the “Ultimate challenge.” Moreover, he has been looking forward to the challenge from the following season. In an interview with F1.com, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that he is on the fag end of his career. But he always loves a challenge. And racing for the iconic Italian team is the best and the biggest challenge for him.
But Hamilton said Ferrari had not had as much success as they had hoped in the past decade. However, Hamilton still hopes to beat the Maranello team this season. But of course, that hope changes in 2025. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton believes he has done everything he could for the German team. That’s why he is looking forward to a “New chapter in my life.”
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.