When Lewis Hamilton made the call to leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2013, it turned a lot of heads across the Formula 1 paddock. It might seem obvious now, but at the time, plenty of people were questioning whether he’d made the right move.
Nico Rosberg had picked up Mercedes’ first win since their F1 return in China, but they still finished fifth overall in 2012. McLaren, on the other hand, were comfortably ahead in third place, with Hamilton taking four victories that year.
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After winning his first title in 2008, things hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing at Woking. The team was struggling to give him a competitive and reliable car. By 2012, he’d had enough – finishing 91 points behind Sebastian Vettel was a breaking point.
Adding to the controversy was how Hamilton left McLaren without saying goodbye face-to-face. He later admitted that wasn’t the right way to handle it and approached his departure from Ferrari differently in 2024.
Hamilton also stepped into some big shoes at Mercedes, replacing Michael Schumacher. However, that wasn’t always part of the plan; initially wanted Schumacher to continue beyond 2012.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was very different
By contrast, when Hamilton decided to join Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season, he chose a very different approach with Toto Wolff and Mercedes.
This time around felt much more straightforward compared to his earlier switch from McLaren. There weren’t any major issues between him and Wolff or anyone else at Mercedes. In fact, they seemed supportive of his choice and understood why he wanted to make such a big change so late in his career.
Why did Lewis Hamilton leave Ferrari?
The decision for Hamilton to leave Mercedes came after a tough spell with the team following their dominant run earlier in the decade.
The rule changes introduced by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem have played a significant role as well as impacting Red Bull Racing’s dominance over recent years too.
Lewis Hamilton’s £30 million price tag reportedly turned off Mercedes decision-makers
Nick Heidfeld and Paul Di Resta were among the names being considered, with Hamilton not even the Silver Arrows’ top target at first.
Glenn Freeman explained via The Race: “Norbert Haug believed that Michael Schumacher would sign a new deal to race beyond 2012.
“And if a replacement was needed, the race team was told to evaluate drivers like Nick Heidfeld, who had been in talks to join Honda in 2008, and conveniently was German, and former Mercedes DTM champion Paul Di Resta, who was racing for Force India.
“Former team CEO Nick Fry has even said he received an impassioned phone call from 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who claimed he was still capable of cutting it at the sharp end of F1.
“Fry was no fan of Villeneuve’s, having seen him up close in the BAR years, and he said he struggled to keep a straight face at the idea of Mercedes bringing the Canadian back to F1 in his early 40s.”
As Freeman noted, Hamilton’s high price tag put off many within Mercedes’ leadership. His reported £30 million annual salary would have placed further strain on their already tight budget – something Toto Wolff noticed during his time consulting with the team while working with Williams.
The signing didn’t happen until Niki Lauda stepped in and pushed for it. In hindsight, it proved to be one of the best decisions Mercedes ever made.
Lewis Hamilton’s journey from McLaren to Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton shocked the F1 world when he left McLaren for Mercedes in 2013. It sounds odd now, but at the time, it was a move that caught plenty of people off guard.
Although Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes their first win since returning to F1 in 2010 with his victory in China, they still ended the 2012 season fifth. McLaren, meanwhile, were third and 236 points ahead – and Hamilton had four wins to his name.
After winning his first title in 2008, things had gone downhill for Hamilton at Woking as McLaren struggled to give him a car that could challenge consistently. Finishing 91 points behind Sebastian Vettel in 2012 was the breaking point that led him to make the switch to Mercedes.
The controversy around the move wasn’t just about leaving – it was also how he did it. Hamilton didn’t inform McLaren face-to-face at the time, something he later admitted was a mistake and avoided repeating when he announced his move to Ferrari in 2024.
Stepping into Michael Schumacher’s seat at Mercedes added another layer of pressure. But it wasn’t always meant to be that way – initially, the team hoped Schumacher would stay on beyond 2012 before plans changed.
Mercedes ‘top brass’ were put off by Lewis Hamilton’s ‘£30 million-a-year price tag’ to replace Michael Schumacher
In fact, Hamilton was not even the Silver Arrows’ top target at first as they were considering Nick Heidfeld and Paul Di Resta.
Glenn Freeman explained via The Race: “Norbert Haug believed that Michael Schumacher would sign a new deal to race beyond 2012.”
“And if a replacement was needed,” Freeman added, “the race team was told to evaluate drivers like Nick Heidfeld – who had been in talks to join Honda in 2008 and conveniently was German – and former Mercedes DTM champion Paul di Resta, who was racing for Force India.”
Lewis Hamilton set numerous F1 records at Mercedes as he became the sport’s GOAT in stats
Back in 2008, Schumacher wondered if Hamilton was better than Felipe Massa. That question didn’t take long to answer: Hamilton won the title over Massa that year while Massa never managed an F1 championship during his career.
The timing of Hamilton’s arrival couldn’t have been better. By then Mercedes were climbing up the order finishing second overall that year before dominating under new V6 turbo hybrid regulations from #F1.
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