Revealed: Lewis Hamilton Always Planned To End Career With Ferrari
In 2015, Lewis Hamilton expressed his desire to race for Ferrari and potentially secure championships before retiring from Formula 1 during a conversation with journalist Matt Bishop, who served as McLaren's communications director at the time.
Key Takeaways:
- In 2015, Lewis Hamilton expressed his desire to race for Ferrari and win championships before retiring from Formula 1 during a conversation with journalist Matt Bishop.
- Bishop disclosed this conversation recently after Hamilton's announcement of transitioning from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025.
- Hamilton also mentioned his interest in pursuing a music career post-retirement and maintaining a list of teams he aims to race for, highlighting his ambition to win championships, although his last year with Mercedes poses challenges due to Max Verstappen and Red Bull's dominance.
Hamilton's 'grand plan' was revealed nine years ago, but Bishop didn't reveal it until recently, after the seven-time world champion announced his transition from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025.
According to Motor Sport Magazine, Bishop's conversation with Hamilton occurred at the Lex Tokyo Lounge Bar following the 2015 Suzuka Grand Prix, where the British driver secured his eighth Grand Prix victory of the season.
The bar was frequented by Formula 1 personalities and had gained popularity as a hotspot for them during that period. Given that Hamilton had departed from McLaren to join Mercedes just three years prior, he maintained a strong relationship with individuals from the Woking-based team.
Casually chatting with Bishop, Hamilton was asked if he would ever return to McLaren. He said:
"I don’t know. Never go back, they say, don’t they? Sometimes you just feel you’ve been somewhere too long and you need a change."
He was then asked if he would stay at Mercedes until retirement. Hamilton replied:
"Well, what I’d really like to do, one day, is drive for Ferrari.
"That would be a great way to end my F1 career, wouldn’t it? To win championships for McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari?"
Hamilton also revealed in his conversation with Bishop that he wants to pursue a career in music once his Formula 1 career concludes, apart from "other stuff" that still remains a secret.
Consequently, he has maintained a longstanding list of teams he aims to race for and secure championships with, and judging by his track record, his ambition to claim championships materialized well, so far.
However, with Max Verstappen and Red Bull's dominance evident since the introduction of the ground effect era, the question arises as to whether he can secure an eighth championship title in his final year with Mercedes or with his ultimate Formula 1 team, Ferrari, before the 39-year-old driver concludes his F1 career.
