BY EMILE NUH
The 28th of September 2012. That was the day Lewis Hamilton announced he would be leaving McLaren to join Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. The announcement sent shockwaves throughout the Formula 1 world. How could a World Champion leave a front-running team who had supported his motor racing career since the age of 13, to join a team in Mercedes who were in just their third season back on the grid as a constructor after a 55-year hiatus from the sport?
The context around his move is often understated and forgotten. Many at the time called it a money-grab. Some even labelled it as career suicide. Why leave a team in championship contention to a team who were middle of the pack and had not won a championship since 1955? In response, Hamilton said at the time, “Everyone would choose the easy option, and I don’t think in my whole life I’ve ever chosen the easy road. There are not many drivers in the paddock that have taken a team who were struggling [and] help them [get] to the top.”
And that’s exactly what Hamilton did. Six World Championships, 84 Grand Prix victories, 78 Pole Positions and 153 Podiums for Mercedes is what he did. But it’s the moments along the journey that made his run so special. The fierce duel in the desert with Nico Rosberg in Bahrain. Winning from 14th on the grid in Germany. The championship pole lap in Singapore. Keeping Max Verstappen at bay to clinch victory in Monaco. Crossing the line on three wheels to take victory in Silverstone. His championship-clinching drive in Turkey. His masterful performance throughout the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. The tearjerking victory he gave us at Silverstone earlier this year. All moments that will live long in the memory.
But Hamilton’s time at Mercedes will be remembered for so much more than just what he did on track. He wasn’t merely just a Formula 1 driver fighting for championships, race victories and pole positions. He fought for racial equality in motorsport and wider society through the Hamilton Commission and Mission 44, who played crucial roles in the new Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) charter that was recently agreed upon by all 10 F1 teams. He’s been a vocal advocate for women on and off-track through Ignite and has created STEM-based programmes which focus on bridging the gap between education and motorsport. He stood in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, sporting a rainbow-coloured helmet at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix and publicly criticised the country’s poor human rights record. An admirable act of defiance just as courageous as battling wheel-to-wheel at 150mph.
In recognition of Hamilton’s record-breaking achievements on track and his tireless efforts to break down barriers off-track, Silverstone officially renamed the start-finish straight the Hamilton Straight in December 2020 – no other part of the circuit is named after a racing driver. In December 2021, he then received a knighthood officially making him Sir Lewis Hamilton, becoming only the fourth Formula 1 driver to be knighted and the first to receive the honour while still competing. And to top it off, in November 2022 ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil which he dedicated to his idol – the late great Ayrton Senna.
Along with the championships and race wins this is Hamilton’s true legacy – records come and go. I have no doubt someone in the future will win more championships and races than Hamilton did with Mercedes. But what no one can take away is the impact he’s had which goes far beyond the Formula 1 grid. How he constantly uses his platform to influence positive change. How he continues to fight for causes greater than himself. His willingness to embrace what makes him different as the first and only black Formula 1 driver who rose to the very top, but also uplifted his community alongside him.
What’s most impressive about Hamilton is none of his missions off track compromised his performances on track. In fact, it was quite the opposite. At McLaren, he was a driver for the most part led by his father Anthony and solely focused on winning championships and races. At Mercedes, he was given the freedom to express himself and became more comfortable in his own skin. He became a leader. And once this happened, he went to another level. A level that only few drivers in Formula 1’s 75-year history have ever operated on. People sometimes frown during periods of dominance in Formula 1 – but those periods are in fact the most memorable ones that we will always look back on.
That’s how I describe the Hamilton-Mercedes era. People will always remember what they achieved and look back on it as one of the great periods in Formula 1 history. Not just because of the records they broke but also because of the longevity they had. It’s a relationship that began 26 years ago back in 1998. This weekend, for one final time, we get to witness the seven-time world champion behind the wheel of a Silver Arrow. But even though this great chapter is about to come to an end, the words Hamilton and Mercedes will always remain synonymous in Formula 1.
