Hamilton recalls ‘holy shit’ moment that sealed his Ferrari fate

In December 2023, a single phone call turned Lewis Hamilton’s world upside down, sparking a journey that would see the seven-time Formula 1 champion trade Mercedes silver for Ferrari red.

Lewis Hamilton sat in the cozy glow of his Colorado home, the snow-dusted Rockies looming outside his window. It was a quiet moment in the off-season, a time for reflection after another grueling year with Mercedes.

The ink was barely dry on his latest contract with the Silver Arrows, a team that had carried him to six of his seven world titles. He thought his future was set – until the phone rang.

It was Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, a man who’d known Hamilton since his junior racing days. Vasseur had caught wind of a tantalizing clause in Hamilton’s Mercedes deal, a whisper of freedom that could pry the champion away from his long-time home.

The call was direct, electrifying: Vasseur wanted Hamilton in red, driving for Ferrari. The words hit like a thunderbolt.

“I remember getting off the phone and, like, almost shaking,” Hamilton told TIME in a lengthy profile piece, his voice still carrying the echo of that moment.

“I was like, Oh God!”

He stumbled into the bathroom, collapsing onto the cool tile floor beside a friend, both of them reeling from the seismic shift unfolding before them.

“I was like, Holy sh-t,” he said, the raw astonishment spilling out. “I literally just signed with Mercedes.”

A Whirlwind of Emotions

The weight of it all crashed over him – years of loyalty to Mercedes, the team that had defined his legacy, now clashing with a wild, unexpected opportunity.

“It was a lot to take in, and my emotions were really high,” he admitted. “So I honestly had to go for a walk.”

He laced up his boots and stepped into the crisp Colorado air, the mountains standing silent as he trekked for an hour, his mind racing faster than any car he’d ever driven.

Back home, he turned to meditation, seeking clarity amid the storm. Days passed as he wrestled with the decision, the pull of Ferrari – a team he’d once thought he’d never join – growing ever stronger.

“My eyes felt really calm and present,” he reflected, a serene certainty settling in. “This is the right thing for me.”

The Lure of the Unknown

For Hamilton, the call wasn’t just about a job offer; it was a dare to step into the abyss.

“You can’t stand still for too long,” he said. “I needed to throw myself into something uncomfortable again.”

At 38, with a career studded with eventful firsts, he’d begun to think the well of new experiences had run dry. Then came Ferrari.

©Ferrari

“Honestly, I thought all my firsts were done,” he confessed. “Your first car, your first crash, your first date, first day of school.”

But the vision of pulling on that iconic red suit, of sliding into the cockpit of a Ferrari for the first time, reignited a spark he hadn’t felt in years.

“The excitement I got by the idea of, ‘This is my first time in the red suit, the first time in the Ferrari.’ Wow,” he marveled. “Honestly, I’ve never been so excited.”

Breaking the News

Telling Mercedes wasn’t easy. Hamilton chose a team-bonding paintball outing to drop the bombshell, surrounded by colleagues who’d become family over a decade of triumphs.

The news landed like a grenade, but the reaction was warm, supportive – followed by a merciless barrage of paintballs.

“There is no bad blood,” he assured. “Absolutely not. We won so many championships.”

©Mercedes

He held no doubts about Mercedes’ future, even without him.

“They have all the ingredients to win world championships, and they will win more world championships,” he said. “I have no doubt.”

This week, pre-season testing in Bahrain was Hamilton’s official baptism by fire.

The Scuderia’s SF-25, a potential weapon in his quest for that elusive eighth title, was a new challenge, a new beginning.

The weight of history, the legacy of Ferrari, was palpable. But so was the excitement, the anticipation of a new chapter. The red suit, the prancing horse, it was more than just a change of scenery. It was a rebirth.

As Hamilton stands on the cusp of a new era, the memory of that December day lingers – a phone call that didn’t just change his future, but reignited his soul.

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