Hamilton says management revamp caused ‘difficult winter’

Lewis Hamilton says that working towards reshaping his personal management team in the past few months has been a lengthy process, and one that led to a “difficult winter” for the seven-time world champion.

In January, Hamilton announced that he had parted ways, amicably, with Canadian media talent manager Penni Thow and her company Cooper after a three year collaboration.

The Mercedes driver worked with Thow on various projects, including the launch of Hamilton’s merchandise brand Plus 44, non-alcoholic tequila Almave, two projects with Apple TV+, and the currently in production Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt.

Hamilton also announced that he had brought back into his inner circle his long-time friend and former driver coach Marc Hynes.

Hynes, a former British Formula 3 champion, had worked with Hamilton from 2016 until 2021, overseeing the management of his Project Forty Four management company. His return called him to focus solely on Hamilton’s racing activities.

• Read also: Hamilton kept family in the dark about Ferrari move

The reunion not only signifies a return to Hamilton's roots, but also a shift towards building his own management team.

"It was a difficult winter, I would say, and a very unusual one," Hamilton said. "[There's been] a lot of deep, deep thought throughout December.

"Obviously, [there are] things going on with management, which is taking a lot of time to reshape. That's never an easy process, but it's all amicable.

"I'm now just working on rebuilding my own team, I have lots of things that I want to do and I know exactly what I want to do.

"It's about finding good people to add into your team, making sure that it's diverse. That's always at the heart of what I try to put in place."

Hamilton's management shift took place during his critical negotiations with Ferrari for 2025, which he says “turned everything upside down”.

This unexpected development necessitated a lot of time and reflection to ensure the deal aligned with his long-term goals and aspirations.

Despite his move to Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton expressed enduring pride in his legacy at Mercedes.

He emphasized the positive impact of his involvement with projects like Mission 44 and Mercedes' Accelerate 25, which actively work towards promoting diversity within Formula 1.

"The January was...everything kind of turned upside down in terms of when the option came," Hamilton explained. "There was a lot of time alone trying to make sure you're doing your due diligence and you're making the right decision for yourself. And I feel like I've made the right decision.

"I'm really excited, but I'm excited about this year. I know [Mercedes] is going to win another championship, and I feel proud to know that I've been a part of it, because a lot of the things we've put in place in terms of how much more diverse our team is, the processes that we go through.

"I will in the long haul always be a part of that process and that development the team has gone through."

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