Lewis Hamilton left his Mercedes Formula One team after twelve seasons of huge success together. In fact in F1 history the partnership between the team and the seven times champion was the most successful ever.
Yet following the failure by Mercedes to pit Hamilton at a crucial time in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which cost him a record eight drivers’ title, Hamilton was never the same driver again.
In 2022 Lewis failed to win a Grand Prix for the first time in his career and as if to add insult to injury, he was outscored by his new junior team mate, George Russell, who won his maiden Grand Prix in Brazil to clinch the inter-team mate battle.
Hamilton vocal over Mercedes failings
That year saw a big change in the FIA car design regulations as the new ground effect car specifications changed the face of F1 racing and Mercedes, unlike in 2014, missed the brief. Much was expected of the zero pod W13 car design, but early F1 analysts expectations were quickly dashed.
“We got it wrong,” Hamilton complained early season after being lapped by Max Verstappen at the Emilia Romagne Grand Prix. “Nothing we do…seems to work” said Lewis after a difficult Friday session in Montreal. “We’re trying different set-ups… for me it was a disaster”.
As George Russell became the points leader out of the Mercedes driver’s, Hamilton’s narrative was that he was the driver doing extreme setup experiments to help the team understand the car. “We are obviously not fighting for the championship. But we are fighting to understand the car and improve and progress through the year,” Hamilton claimed at the British Grand Prix.
Whilst in 2023, Hamilton was able to beat his team mate, it was yet another winless season for the British driver. Come the early European season, Hamilton was publicly criticising the team for failing to listen to him in terms of improving the handling characteristics of the W14.
Zak Brown’s brash American swagger gone in a flash
Lewis demands ‘heads must roll’
When the team finally abandoned the zero pod concept, Hamilton went public stating “I was right.” Lewis fumed, “I’ve driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability. It’s about owning up and saying, ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work.’”
Within days, Mercedes technical director Mike Ellis was relocated elsewhere within the team and James Allison was recalled to his former role. During that season there were protracted negotiations between Hamilton and the Mercedes team with a report suggesting he was looking for a ten year ambassador role for the auto car brand together with a three year contract.
The negotiations dragged on into the autumn before Mercedes and Hamilton finally announced a “multi-year deal,” which in reality only guaranteed Lewis one more season with the team. At the big announcement Hamilton was clearly unhappy as in a self justified manner he insisted unnecessarily to reporters there, “this will not be my last driving deal.”
Within weeks Hamilton had done a deal with Ferrari for 2025, although he only revealed this to team boss Toto Wolff just prior to the start of the 2024 season. Whilst Hamilton claimed a victory in 2024 and inherited another from his unfortunate team mate who was disqualified in Spa, again he was second to George Russell across the season.
Ferrari president rebukes Hamilton
Lewis fanfare arrival in Maranello saw hm receive an unprecedented tour of the facilities from Ferrari group president John Elkann, but reality was to set I quickly as the Scuderia saw both their cars disqualified at the second Grand Prix of the season.
Hamilton has complained throughout the season that the car is far from where it needs to be. He revealed he has been documenting his thoughts on his Ferrari can improve both the car and the way the team is structured.
This apparently received a rebuke from Elkann after both divers failed to finish the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the Ferrari president publicly rebuking his drivers, stating: “They should talk less and focus more on driving.”
In Abu Dhabi Hamilton again publicly stated he would be seeking changes back in Maranello although his confidence as to whether the team would listen top him was low. “My surroundings in terms of personal personnel, team personnel, how you utilise people, whether people need to move into different positions to work better – all these different things need to be looked upon,” stated Lewis on the media day.
Verstappen SLAMS FIA ground effect regulation era
Hamilton unsure if Ferrari will listen
When pressed if the team’s structure could remain unchanged for next season, Hamilton was adamant: “Definitely not.” However, Lewis declared he was uncertain whether Ferrari would implement most of his recommendations. “I’ve got so many notes in terms of things we need to improve on.
“Time will tell whether or not we act on those things and we keep hold of the things that are good and change the things that are not – and there’s plenty of those. There’s literally no reason why we couldn’t fix those [which are bad] if we just put those [the changes in my notes] into action. I’m hopeful for us making progress.” Lewis concluded.
Hamilton is clearly a figure who can create a divisive atmosphere in an F1 team when things are not going well and Toto Wolff now admits the relationship was becoming strained in Lewis’ final months with Mercedes.
Brundle calls out Verstappen Abu Dhabi rant
Wolff confirms Hamilton became ‘annoying’
Speaking in Abu Dhabi about Hamilton’s replacement, rookie driver Kimi Antonelli, Wolff revealed: “I like change generally – I like the challenge and opportunities it presents,” said Wolff. “When Lewis resigned, I immediately started thinking, ‘What will we do now? Let’s embrace it.’
“I think anyway that, after 12 years, we had started to annoy each other. I already had this young kid in the pipeline,” said the Mercedes boss.
Whether the changes Hamilton believes are necessary at Ferrari are acted upon or not, will see 2026 become a make or break season for the former champion – and potentially even his last in the sport.
Ferrari boss slammed by Scuderia ambassador for “embarrassing” and “weak excuses”
Having moved to Ferrari this season in a fanfare of Italian PR, Lewis Hamilton has described this year as a “nightmare” and his “worst season ever in Formula One.”
The seven times champion’s year peaked at round two in China, where he qualified on pole for the Sprint before going on to win the shortened for race on Saturday morning. Yet the cruel racing gods intervened, and both Hamilton and his team mate were disqualified from the Grand Prix on Sunday for excessive wear of the SF-25 skid blocks.
Ferrari introduced a new suspension upgrade in Belgium to deal with the ride height issues which plagued their car, yet since the new component their average points scored each weekend has fallen from 19 to 14…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
