Why Lewis Hamilton turned red out of the blue — and what it means for Formula One Premium
The Hindu
Lewis Hamilton's shocking decision to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari in Formula One has generated excitement and speculation about the future of the sport.
Modern-day sport is as much about the off-field goings-on as it is about the on-field action. What happens behind the scenes keeps fans glued, sustaining the sport even when it’s not being played.
A popular instance of this phenomenon is the transfer day deadline in European football. The palace intrigue that surrounds where a player might go and for how much fills up social media and animates gatherings, with passionate fans getting their managerial hats on.
The recent mid-season window closed on February 1 and a big-news signing dropped, shocking the entire sporting world. Only, it was not a football move but a transfer in another billion-dollar global sport — Formula One.
The bombshell was Lewis Hamilton announcing that he would leave the Mercedes F1 team after 12 years at the end of 2024 and join Scuderia Ferrari on a multi-year deal. One of the biggest driver switches ever, it was deemed noteworthy enough to be discussed on a TV show tracking football transfers that day.
In the past, big-name moves have generated buzz and altered the driver market significantly. But in years to come, this seismic moment could stand out for a few reasons.
For one thing, some of the notable team changes in the past had solid reasons underpinning them.
When Michael Schumacher moved from Benetton to Ferrari in 1996 after winning two world titles, he had outgrown the team in stature and fancied a new challenge: getting Ferrari back to winning ways. Alain Prost left McLaren after falling out with the team when battling Ayrton Senna. Later, Senna left McLaren once it declined competitively, to replace Prost at Williams.
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