Why is Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari truly the transfer of the century?

Motors Inside talked about the transfer of the century. Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula 1 world champion, double vice-champion, winner of over 100 Grand Prix races, is leaving the Mercedes team for the equally legendary Ferrari team.

Other media outlets and the press have also described this transfer as the transfer of the century. However, upon closer inspection, it is the transfer of history. The exact figures involved are unknown. Therefore, it’s not about money, but rather about the event itself.

The best driver in the history of Formula 1, statistically.

Lewis Hamilton has won 103 Grand Prix victories. That’s 12 more than Michael Schumacher in a period where the number of races per season was slightly higher. Lewis Hamilton has participated in 332 Grand Prix races to date, compared to 308 for Michael Schumacher. With a 31.02% win rate, Hamilton is still ahead of Schumacher in terms of ratio, as the German has won 29.55% of his Grand Prix participations.

Lewis Hamilton has won 7 Formula 1 World Championships. He won the F3 championship in his first year and did the same in GP2 (now known as F2) in the following season. He systematically worked his way up through the single-seater series to make his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2007, alongside double world champion Fernando Alonso. As a rookie, he came close to winning his first Grand Prix in his debut race. He ultimately finished on the podium in 3rd place, just behind the experienced Fernando Alonso. In his first season of F1, he ended as the runner-up, tied on points with Fernando Alonso, but ultimately just 1 point behind the champion: Kimi Räikkönen, driving for Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton is a phenomenon. In addition to winning several F1 titles, he has been one of the few drivers to do so with two different teams. In 63 championships, only 10 drivers have won at least two world titles with two different teams. For comparison, Sebastian Vettel, Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen, Mikka Hakkinen, and Fernando Alonso have only been crowned with a single constructor.

The best team in the history of Formula 1, statistically

With 243 wins in 1,074 Grand Prix races, Scuderia Ferrari is the team with the most victories in F1. The legendary Scuderia alone has won 22.63% of all F1 Grand Prix races. For comparison, McLaren has won 19.44% of its 946 participations. These statistics can only be compared with a few teams, as apart from Williams (827 Grand Prix races entered) and McLaren, there are few teams with as many years of presence in F1.

The Scuderia Ferrari is the legendary team. It’s the team that makes all drivers dream. Sebastian Vettel, who was with Red Bull throughout his career, always expressed his desire to join the red team someday. He was able to become a Ferrari driver after winning 4 world championships with Red Bull. Fernando Alonso won his two Formula 1 world championships with Renault. He also wanted to go to Ferrari as soon as he had the opportunity. Alain Prost also went through Scuderia Ferrari after his titles with McLaren.

Ferrari has thus won 16 titles in the history of F1 out of 63 seasons. That’s 5 more than McLaren and almost double the number of titles won by Mercedes, which has 9. Even without Michaël Schumacher’s titles (5), the team would still be leading in this ranking.

However, the team enabled Michaël Schumacher to become the most decorated driver in F1 with 5 consecutive titles. The 2000s were prolific for the Scuderia and it was ultimately in the 21st century that they were able to clearly establish a significant gap ahead of their competitors in the statistics board.

Unavoidable today, Ferrari is the team that also stands out for its road cars, supercars that continue to captivate both the youngest and the oldest. Lewis Hamilton actually owns several of them, although he can’t be seen with them.

The precedents

If we talk about the transfer of the century, it is also because in the history of F1, such a combined track record has never occurred. When Michael Schumacher arrived at Scuderia Ferrari, he only had two titles while Scuderia Ferrari had 6 less than they have currently.

Yet not so long ago, Schumacher, adorned with his 7 crowns, had already changed teams. Ironically, he had gone to Mercedes. So why do we forget about this transfer? In fact, Michael Schumacher had retired a few seasons earlier (end of 2006). He was therefore no longer in F1 at the time of signing up to participate in Mercedes’ arrival in Formula 1 (2010). He simply was not “transferred”.

In the same category, Niki Lauda returned to F1 after a break linked to his weariness, during which he created an airline company. He came back convinced by Ron Dennis at McLaren. He would win the championship in 1984, but at the time of his arrival at McLaren, no one really believed in Niki Lauda’s ability to make McLaren win.

Some drivers have indeed been transferred with significant moves, such as Kimi Räikkönen in 2007, who went from McLaren to Ferrari and would go on to win his one and only Formula 1 world championship title by just 1 point.

A media icon

Lewis Hamilton is the most well-known public figure in Formula 1 nowadays. Besides his victories, he is the first non-white driver to win Grand Prix and titles in F1. He is vegan and publicly supports most minority causes. He is a highly esteemed driver outside of Formula 1 and received a lot of media attention during his relationship with American star Nicole Scherzinger.

Lewis Hamilton was notably made a Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) and was ennobled by Queen Elizabeth II before being also dubbed in 2021 by Prince Charles.

Lewis Hamilton was also one of the key figures in the most highly publicized Grand Prix in history: the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021 and his lost title to Max Verstappen in the final lap which sparked so much debate. All of these elements make him a key factor in F1 today.

An unexpected transfer

However, despite all the statistics and rankings, ultimately it’s the unexpected and improbable aspect that resonates today. The transfer of such a world champion to such a team seemed unlikely. First, because Mercedes, although not as competitive as in 2020, still finished 2nd in the world championship in 2023, ahead of Ferrari. But also because Lewis Hamilton is known for being loyal.

It is one of his tattoos “Loyalty”. The English driver was indeed spotted in England from a young age by Ron Dennis. He will thus be under the wing of Mercedes and McLaren from the beginning of his single-seater career. Therefore, it is only logical that he becomes a McLaren driver in Formula 1 when he is ready before joining the Mercedes project. He has always been a driver powered by Mercedes. For 17 years.

Many rumors talked about the possibilities of such a transfer, season after season. But each time, the driver declared his love and loyalty for his team. So no one, neither in the media nor in the paddock, expected such an announcement.

It is the arrival of Frédéric Vasseur at the helm of Scuderia Ferrari in 2023 that contributed to this turnaround. Frédéric Vasseur is the director of ART GP, in F2 and F3. The team in which Lewis Hamilton proved himself in single-seaters. The two men have a very important relationship, and ultimately, it is being loyal to his peers to return to the team led by his first managers. The loop is closed. So, see you in 2025.

In the meantime, Lewis Hamilton will have another season with Mercedes to win what Toto Wolff has always wished for the British driver, an 8th title in F1.