How Mercedes LOST Lewis Hamilton

It was highly suspicious for Merc to fall off the way they did in '22 and '23. Terrible car design, terrible race strategy, terrible pitstops with one of the best drivers in history. You almost can't make that up.

The Mercedes suits really screwed the pooch so bad with their decision not to accept Lewis’s offer

Dr. Zetsch’s departure from Mercedes was the beginning of the end for Mercedes

I think you nailed it here. I think Merc ignoring Hamilton's teammate preference was frustrating for him too, especially since Red Bull is dedicated to providing Verstappen with a cupcake teammate. It's a huge disadvantage having a competitive teammate when you're trying to win a WDC, especially so in a slower car. It all boils down to the team taking Hamilton for granted, and Merc corporate grossly undervaluing him as a marketing asset.

Good insight. Of all the videos I've watched that attempt to describe why LH signed with Ferrari, I think yours is closest to the core of the issue. When LH decided to go to Mercedes he did so after being pursued by Niki Lauda and Ross Brawn - "I wasn't convinced necessarily at the beginning. I think the convincing stage which really made me look into it more was when Ross came around my mum's house, and sat with me in the kitchen. We had tea, and he showed me what the plan is for the team. "That was the real in-depth insight into what the team was planning, the changes they were trying to do. That was really the selling point." LH Autosport November 22, 2020. At that time, Mercedes was still a nimble racing team with desire to truly partner with LH to build a Champion. Over time, to your point, they became more 'corporate' in their approach and lost sight of the fact that Lewis was a true partner in building the team. Not taking his technical input in building their challenger in the last two (losing) campaigns and their inability to see the value of LH's brand pretty much sealed the deal. Championship DNA is hard to come by and Ferrari needs a transplant. Fred Vasseur (Like Ross Brawn before him) knows this. As a Mercedes fan (really a 44 fan) I suspect Mercedes will soon be relegated to the 'also-ran' category.

Ferrari is about to build a superteam now...watch

I'm very happy that Lewis is coming to Ferrari. I'm a life long Tifosi but he's my favorite current driver. LET'S GO!

To be honest this is FAR better and more considered information than all other so-called experts combined. This explains so much without all the baseless filler that everyone else seem to think they need. You said in a few minutes what hundreds of minutes of other videos couldn't.

Merc treated their biggest financial (advertising and marketing) asset like shit and lost him. Good. I hate how they treated him in 2023 especially. I’m sad but this is a chance for 8th WDC and a resurgence for Ferrari. 💪

Great insight, love that you don't have any clickbait!

I agree with some of your analysis but not all. The reason Lewis only got a year guaranteed at Mercedes was not the parent company. It was that the team including Toto wanted the flexibility to put Kimi Antonelli in the seat in 2025. James Vowles confirmed that this week in a lecture to Oxford University students and Toto lost Max to Red Bull by refusing to put Max in F1. Right away and will not let that happen again with Antonelli. Lewis did not get the Mercedes brand ambassadorship because of the resistance to it by the parent company. You are correct that the CEO Mr. Kallenius does not support the company’s involvement in Motorsport and opposed the company’s entry into the last Concorde Agreement. Sad because it was a slap in the face to a driver that did so much to increase the value of the brand. Those two things drove Lewis into the open arms of Ferrari. Frankly he makes a better brand ambassador for Ferrari than Mercedes anyway. All the celebs love Ferrari and buy Ferrari and Lewis is ultra popular with celebs. Lewis is about glamour and fashion as well as fast driving and that fits Ferrari’s image more than Mercedes which is more about buttoned down quiet understated luxury. I think the Lewis move is a win win for all. Mercedes now has a seat for Kimi Antonelli and Lewis fulfills a lifelong dream of racing as a Ferrari driver and representing the brand

I stumbled on this video and really glad that i did. Very spot-on analysis. 🎉

Good Job. Just to add Mercedes and Toto gave up on the 2021 robbery of Hamiltons 8th championship appeal. I believe Toto wants to be the head of F1 and didn't want to ruffle feathers because of his personal desire.

This was a good deep dive. Your work is appreciated.

Thanks for your knowledge. I strongly believe Lewis /Ferrari will win massively from the beginning.

Why does this video clear up the question of "why" more than any other source !?

Once it’s confirmed Newey is wearing red it’s over for RB.

1:38 you probably it was the first time that two cars had the same MERCEDES power unit, as in 2008 there were various teams sharing the same engine (Ferrari, Honda, Toyota,…)

Daaaamn that's a good breakdown 👌 haven't heard something like this in a while

Just look at Ferrari’s stock price since the announcement of signing Hamilton, that in and of itself is a massive W.