Lewis Hamilton’s ambitious Mercedes plan before leaving for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium

The Formula 1 record books are filled with Lewis Hamilton’s name, but the British driver has one last thing he’d like to accomplish before his tenure at Mercedes comes to an end: he wants to win.

In 2025, Lewis Hamilton will move to Scuderia Ferrari after a long and fruitful partnership with Mercedes. The once unstoppable duo have secured 82 wins and six World Driver Championships together, but Hamilton isn’t done. He wants that one last win.

Lewis Hamilton: ‘Would be nice’ to end with a win

Lewis Hamilton’s third-place finish at the F1 2024 Spanish Grand Prix marked his first podium with the Mercedes team since Mexico City in 2023, and his first since announcing his departure. Reflecting on the accomplishment in the post-race press conference, Hamilton admitted that taking home a win with the team before the season is finished “would be nice.”

However, Hamilton was realistic about his chances.

“I think just having consistency and seeing if we can put the team further up in the points… [has] got to be the target,” he said. “Let’s just try and have more consistent weekends like this, and then we’ll see.”

He pointed to the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix as a race where his teammate George Russell had come close to victory — but Hamilton didn’t deny that he also felt he’d have had a shot “if I’d qualified where I feel I should have.”

Still, he stated that he felt Mercedes could have a chance to “eke a little bit closer” to both Red Bull and McLaren over the next “four or five” races, so long as Mercedes keeps improving the car with new upgrades.

“There’s a clear improvement, and there’s just clear areas where we need to bolt on performance so that we can be in the fight with them,” Hamilton said.

The latest on Hamilton’s move to Ferrari

 Revealed: The private Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc pre-race talk details

 Lewis Hamilton quizzed on having ‘second thoughts’ over upcoming Ferrari move

When a driver announces a move to a new team quite early in a season, it leaves plenty of room for discourse.

After the Spanish Grand Prix, reporters questioned whether Hamilton might have “second thoughts” over his move to Ferrari after seeing the increased pace of the Mercedes over the previous two races. But Hamilton shut down those concerns.

“My job this year, right now, is to work as hard as I can with the crew that I have, with the people back at the factory, to try and move and develop the car in the right direction,” he said of Mercedes.

“And so ultimately, whatever course and trajectory the team is on for next year, for example, there are things that I’ve hopefully been a part of and be proud of being a part of.”

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