New Formula 1 Drive To Survive Trailer Hints At Rift Between Lewis Hamilton And Mercedes

Seven-time series champion Lewis Hamilton stunned the Formula 1 world earlier this month when he announced that he would leave Mercedes following the 2024 season in favor of a seat at Ferrari.

Hamilton then released a statement claiming that the move was a fulfillment of a “childhood dream.”

While that may well be true, it now appears that the move also coincides with a rift that formed between he and the Mercedes team.

“I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfill another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red,” the statement read. “Mercedes has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 years old, so this decision has been the hardest I’ve ever had to make.”

“The time is right to make a change and take on a new challenge,” he continued. “I still remember the feeling of taking a leap of faith into the unknown when I first joined Mercedes in 2013.

“I know some people didn’t understand it at the time but I was right to make the move then and it’s the feeling I have again now. I’m excited to see what I can bring to this new opportunity and what we can do together.”

New Formula 1: Drive To Survive Trailer Shows Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes Rift

Hamilton won six of his seven Formula 1 championships with the German team. And for several years, the automotive powerhouse had by far the best car on the grid.

But that all changed when the series made regulation changes in 2022. Now it’s Red Bull Racing which is the sport’s pre-eminent power, and Hamilton has not won a race since 2021.

In the newest Formula 1: Drive to Survive trailer, Hamilton is seen talking to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff about his limited time left in the sport.

“You can be here for 20 more years,” Hamilton says to Wolff. “I can’t.”

Hamilton appears to say the worlds in a light-hearted manner. But the often-stoic Wolff didn’t seem to see the humor in the situation.

The show was taped throughout the 2023 Formula 1 season. So Hamilton will have no doubt been discussing and negotiating his Formula 1 future at the time.

Now it appears the bombshell move from Mercedes to Ferrari maybe shouldn’t have been as surprising as we all thought.