“He clearly wants to have another chapter in his career” : Andrew Shovlin reveals reason behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes departure
Lewis Hamilton was set to extend his Mercedes contract by two more years, but the bombshell news of him leaving the Silver Arrows to join the Prancing Horses earlier this season left everyone in shock. Many were left wondering the reason behind his switch to Ferrari.
Although after making this announcement, things have not looked that bad at Mercedes, as the team has overall performed on a better level than before. Lewis Hamilton has claimed two victories this season in Silverstone and Spa, his first coming at home after a lengthy dry spell of almost three years.
The Briton has also been taking part with the engineering team, particularly the trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, providing crucial feedbacks on the car’s performances and weaknesses. He remains a key central figure in the team, and looks forward to the remainder of the season. During this resurgence, questions were led to be asked whether or not the 39-year-old will regret leaving Mercedes.
“I think his biggest reasons are not necessarily ones of car performance” : Mercedes engineering director
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin have had a significant professional relationship over the years, with many successes coming along the way. Having worked closely with the Briton, Shovlin addressed the reason as to why he is leaving Mercedes at this point in his career.
“I think his biggest reasons are not necessarily ones of car performance. He clearly wants to have another chapter in his career beyond his very successful one with Mercedes. He’s of an age where if he was going to do that, he would need to do it sooner rather than later,” said the 50-year-old (via GP Fans).
Andrew Shovlin also said that the Briton is looking for a different challenge in his already storied career. Add that to his childhood dream of dawning the Italian colors, it was a timely decision made by the 39-year-old, as his racing days are gradually coming to an end.
“As I said, if we were dominating a championship, I suspect it would have been difficult for him to do that [exit], but I think a big part of Lewis is wanting to have another team and another challenge in his career. I think when someone’s decided that they want to do that, it can be quite difficult to persuade them otherwise,” the Mercedes director added.
The successful pair will part ways after this season, as Mercedes remains optimistic about their performance and the potential for further successes, while the legend of Lewis Hamilton will continue at the Scuderia, teaming up with Charles Leclerc on the way.
