Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has revealed it wasn’t “difficult” to convince Lewis Hamilton to agree to a switch as racing in red in Formula 1 had “been in his thoughts”.
Hamilton delivered a bombshell in February when it was announced that he will leave Mercedes when the campaign concludes to begin a venture with Ferrari in 2025.
The Briton had penned an extension with Mercedes less than six months prior in September as he expressed the desire to end his F1 career with the German marque.
However, Hamilton opted to activate an exit clause in his one-plus-one deal to sign a multi-term contract with Ferrari, where he will partner incumbent Charles Leclerc.
But while Hamilton has spoken about his emotional attachment to Mercedes, Vasseur has divulged that persuading the seven-time F1 champion was straightforward.
“It wasn’t difficult actually,” Vasseur told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Ferrari has always been in his thoughts in some ways and now the stars have aligned.
“But he comes to win, not on vacation. And I’m convinced that we have everything to try.”
Hamilton prepared to fulfil childhood dream
Hamilton has admitted the chance to fulfil his childhood dream of competing with Ferrari had an integral role in his decision to cut his long-standing ties to Mercedes.
“Of course, I think for every driver growing up, watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by the red,” he said.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the sea of red Ferrari fans and you can only stand in awe of that.
“It’s a team that’s not had huge success recently, since 2007, and I saw it as a huge challenge.
“Without a doubt, even as a kid, I used to play [on games] as Michael in that car, so it definitely is a dream and I’m excited about it.”
Vasseur’s influence on Hamilton’s move
Meanwhile, the ex-McLaren driver also detailed that Vasseur’s presence, whom Hamilton worked with in GP2 back in 2006, was decisive in him taking the plunge now.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Fred,” he added. “Obviously I raced with him in Formula 3, and we had amazing success in Formula 3 and also in GP2.
“And that’s really where the foundation of our relationship started. We just always remained in touch.
“I thought that he was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to Formula 1, but at the time he wasn’t interested in that.
“It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa [Romeo] team and then when he got the job at Ferrari I was just so happy for him, and I think just the stars aligned.
“I think it really wouldn’t have happened without him, so I’m really grateful and really excited about the work that he’s doing there.”
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