Lewis Hamilton has disclosed watching Michael Schumacher sparked his desire to race for Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion, who has spent over a decade with Mercedes, revealed that his move was heavily influenced by his admiration for Michael Schumacher, the legendary driver who defined an era at Ferrari.
The British driver will realize his goal next season, when he completes his move to Maranello after winning six of his seven Formula 1 titles and becoming a global athletic megastar over the course of his 11 year tenure with the Silver Arrows.
Lewis Hamilton shares the same level of popularity as Schumacher, the only other driver who has secured seven F1 titles and just like Hamilton serves as a source of motivation to several talented youths nowadays, the German racing legend was an icon to many racers who came during his time.
Hamilton’s connection to Ferrari and Schumacher dates back to his youth when he watched the German driver dominate the sport with unparalleled success, including five consecutive world titles from 2000 to 2004 which left an indelible mark on the Brit.
“It is so exciting because I remember as a kid watching Michael,” Hamilton told the Times. “Every driver watches that car and you’re like: ‘What would it be like to sit in the red cockpit?'”
Although Schumacher’s initial retirement from F1 happened towards the end of 2006, months prior to Hamilton’s debut, their careers did actually overlap and by the time the German made his way back to the grid, Hamilton had already secured his maiden championship.
Schumacher responded when the opportunity to return to the sport with the Mercedes F1 team came up in 2010 and was assigned to mentor Nico Rosberg, a young compatriot who would also win the 2016 F1 Championship before retiring right after.
Early on, Mercedes was not as competitive as it has been in the past ten years. Over his three seasons at the Silver Arrows, Schumacher failed to win a race, but he did make it back to the podium once, taking third place in the Valencia-hosted 2012 European Grand Prix.
Hamilton was likewise not having the results he would have liked at McLaren at that time. Therefore, the British driver took a risk by agreeing to take over at Mercedes when Schumacher declared his intention to retire for the second and final time at the end of 2012.
At the time, it was deemed to be an exceptionally huge risk, but it has paid off as Hamilton and his new team proceeded to dominate the sport, taking home eight consecutive constructors’ titles alongside six drivers’ titles while McLaren were largely dormant in the midfield.
Lewis Hamilton currently sits 6th in the 2024 F1 World Championship Standings as the sport heads to United States towards the end of the month.
