Lewis Hamilton claims Ferrari F1 move wouldn’t have happened without Fred Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton says he wouldn’t have joined Ferrari in F1 2025 if team principal Fred Vasseur was not at the team.

The seven-time world champion has sensationally decided to leave Mercedes at the end of the season and make the switch to Maranello on a multi-year contract from 2025.

Hamilton, who activated a break clause in his current Mercedes deal - signed only last summer - in order to complete his blockbuster move, has confirmed the importance of Vasseur’s involvement.

Hamilton has a long-standing relationship with Vasseur and won both the European F3 title and GP2 championship with the Frenchman’s junior outfits in 2005 and 2006, before graduating to F1 with McLaren the following year.

“I've got a great relationship with Fred,” Hamilton responded when asked if Vasseur’s presence at Ferrari was a key factor behind his move.

“Obviously I raced with him in F2 and we had amazing success in F3, and also in GP2. That's really where the foundation of our relationship started. We always remained in touch.

“I thought that he was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to F1, but at the time, he wasn't interested in that.

“It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa [Romeo] team. Then when he got the job at Ferrari, I was just so happy for him.

“I think just the stars aligned, I think it really wouldn't have happened without him. So I'm really grateful and really excited about the work that he's doing there.”

Hamilton opened up about his Ferrari switch for the first time during Friday’s FIA press conference on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

“Obviously in the summer I signed, and obviously, at that time, I saw my future with Mercedes,” he added. “But an opportunity came up at the end of the year, and I decided to take it.

“I feel like it was obviously the hardest decision I think I've ever had to make. I've been with Mercedes, I think it's like 26 years they've supported me, and we've had an absolutely incredible journey together.

“We've created history within the sport, and it's something I take a lot of pride in, and I'm very proud of what we've achieved. But I think ultimately, I'm writing my story. And I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.”