Formula 1 Chinese GP
Hamilton: Ferrari F1 switch doesn't need "vindicating"
Lewis Hamilton says his decision to join Ferrari in Formula 1 doesn't need "vindicating", as he expressed ongoing annoyance at people continuing to "talk shit" about it.
Jonathan Noble
Published: Apr 18, 2024, 10:52 AM
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The seven-time world champion announced at the start of February that he would be switching to Ferrari in 2025 after electing to activate an exit clause in a deal he had originally signed with Mercedes.
And while the ongoing competitive differences between Mercedes and Ferrari have prompted onlookers to debate about whether or not he has made the right move, he says what others think is irrelevant.
Instead, he says the only thing that matters is being happy with the decision himself, as he was when he joined Mercedes in 2013 despite plenty of people questioning it.
Asked ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix if Mercedes' current struggles had confirmed he had made the right choice in moving to Ferrari, Hamilton said: "Well, I don't feel like I need my decision vindicating. I think I know what's right for me, and that hasn't changed since the moment that I made the decision.
"There's not been a moment where I've questioned it, and I'm not swayed by other people's comments. Even today, there's people continuing to talk shit, and it will continue on for the rest of the year.
"And I'll have to just do what I did in the previous time. Only you can know what was right for you. And it will be an exciting time for me."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton expressed some annoyance to a journalist who asked about whether he was happy to be going to Ferrari because they were 'better'.
"Do you have any better questions?" demanded Hamilton before the interview ended.
Hamilton is clear that he sees his switch to Ferrari as a long-term project, which could see him racing on in F1 into his mid-40s, like Fernando Alonso is.
"I am going to be racing for quite some time still," he declared. "So, it's definitely good that he's still around, I hope that he keeps going for a little bit longer as well."
He added: "I never thought that I'd be racing into my 40s. I'm pretty sure I said I wouldn't go into my 40s racing, but I think it's such a crazy trip, life, that I don't feel like I'm nearly 40 years old. I feel really young still."
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