Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton spent 12 years in the Mercedes team, in half of those years he managed to win the world championship for the team.
And the truth is that even when he drove for McLaren - Hamilton was always a Mercedes driver, he grew up in its academy, and led it to incredible achievements.
But all good things come to an end, and last Thursday the driver surprised the world of motor sports when he decided to switch to Ferrari in 2025.
The reasons for Hamilton's move to the Italian team are varied, but apparently what tipped the scales was the Reds' financial offer.
Hamilton, who will celebrate his 40th birthday next year, is expected to receive in one racing season about 100 million euros, an amount that will consist of basic salary and bonuses.
For comparison, today the driver earns about 40 million euros per season from base salary and a few million more for bonuses, but not amounts that come close to what he would earn in Italy.
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But it wasn't just the money that convinced the British driver to make the switch, according to reports, Ferrari team manager Fred Vassor, who collaborated with Hamilton in their days in Formula 2, personally assured the driver that they were in the process of building a car that would be able to compete with Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
In addition, according to several reports, Hamilton will bring a number of engineers with him from Mercedes, led by Bono, the race engineer who has been with the driver for many years.
The manager of the Mercedes group, Toto Wolff, said in an interview in Germany: "I didn't know until Wednesday evening that this was going to happen, but I can completely understand Lewis, every driver in Formula 1 wants to drive the red Ferrari car. I am happy that this year he will still be with us."
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Wolff and Hamilton.
"Everyone wants to drive a Ferrari", photo: AP
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