James Vowles believes that Lewis Hamilton’s departure will be positive for Mercedes in the long term

Mercedes is obliged to find a high-level driver for 2025. While Toto Wolff’s team thought they had signed Lewis Hamilton until 2025, the British driver has activated an option. In his contract, it was stipulated that he could leave the Silver Arrows by the end of 2024, a condition that he has taken advantage of.

If, for Ferrari, this transfer can be considered one of the biggest coups in history, it is an abyssal loss for Mercedes. Replacing Lewis Hamilton seems to be one of the most challenging tasks. However, James Vowles, former member of the German team and now Williams’ director, is convinced that Mercedes will come out stronger.

“It’s not good for Mercedes in the short term, but in fact, I think they will do perfectly fine when it comes to their drivers,” stated the British engineer. “They have a strong team to choose from. They will come back stronger. So, in the end, it’s a good thing.”

To aim for one last challenge

This case surprised more than one person, including James Volwes. However, the former strategist of Mercedes expected that sooner or later, Lewis Hamilton would step out of his comfort zone. It will be good for Lewis, as he will learn from it and challenge himself, stated James Volwes.

« I had a conversation with him this weekend, it was a difficult decision for him. It’s primarily his house. It tears you apart inside, but he wants to prove to himself and prove to the world that he can go through one of the hardest things, which is transitioning to a new organization. He probably had one last chance in his career to prove it, and I completely understand the reasons.

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Alexander Albon also admitted to struggling to take the information seriously. The Thai driver long believed in unfounded rumors before being taken aback.

Albon is amazed by Hamilton’s aura.

The transfer of the British to Ferrari inflated the shares of the Italian company. In less than a day, the group’s shares increased by more than 8%. The announcement set the world on fire.

“When you see the increase in Ferrari’s value, it shows you how great Lewis is,” said Alexander Albon. “There were so many rumors over the winter that we didn’t know what was credible or not. This reminds me of the Messi-Miami transfer and just shows the growing interest in Formula 1. It also leaves a lot of questions about the driver market.”

After receiving the news, Mercedes is obliged to fully focus on the 2024 season. The car will be unveiled on February 14th.