One F1 driver says he had prior knowledge about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move before it was official.
Lewis Hamilton’s shocking Ferrari F1 transfer was known to Zhou Guanyu even before the announcement was formally made.
Last week, it was revealed that Hamilton will sign a multi-year contract with Ferrari starting in 2025, leaving Mercedes at the conclusion of the current campaign.
Zhou was among the few who knew what was going on, even though the F1 world was astonished to learn of the confirmation of one of the largest driver moves in history.
The seven-time world champion Hamilton has re-invited Marc Hynes into his inner circle for the 2019 campaign, and the Sauber driver claimed to have received this information from Hynes.
Although I didn’t monitor the response to Hamilton’s revelation in China all that closely, Zhou told RacingNews365 that “people probably didn’t believe it, or 90% of the people [didn’t believe it] when rumours came out.”
“I am familiar with Marc; he and I work together in his management style.
“I texted him ahead of time, so I was certain he was signing; it was true.” I was extremely taken aback by the news, but I kept it to myself.
However, I believe that the individuals working at Mercedes will find it even more startling. As a driver, I believe Lewis, in particular, envisions himself retiring from Ferrari.
“Obviously, having it is quite pleasant. I don’t hold it against him that he feels this way.
Zhou said that the timing of Hamilton’s decision to switch from Mercedes to Ferrari caught him off guard.
The Chinese driver continued, “It’s very unexpected; most likely [I wasn’t] expecting Lewis to retire as a Ferrari driver.”
“People, especially the World Champions, enjoy it when a Ferrari driver retires, but it was shocking to hear him declare it at the start of this season when there is still one more season left with his club.
“But it’s exciting, I suppose, for people like us to realize how much is changing in other teams.”
