Ross Brawn reveals Mercedes nearly signed ‘very mature’ driver instead of Lewis Hamilton in 2013

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Mercedes enjoyed unprecedented success with Lewis Hamilton, but Ross Brawn has admitted that the team prepared a fascinating backup in case they couldn’t extract him from McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton became a seven-time world champion with Mercedes, winning six titles between 2014 and 2020.

Eddie Jordan broke the news of Hamilton joining Mercedes from McLaren after five years with the Woking-based outfit.

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However, it wasn’t an easy deal to do, as Niki Lauda needed to convince Hamilton to sign for Mercedes at a pivotal point in his career.

Former Ferrari and Mercedes boss Ross Brawn is considered one of the most successful team principals in Formula 1 history.

Brawn has now revealed that if a move to sign Hamilton couldn’t be completed, then current Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg was being lined up as his alternative.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ross Brawn says Mercedes nearly signed Nico Hulkenberg instead of Lewis Hamilton

Speaking to the official website of Formula 1 about signing Hamilton, Brawn said: “When I was at Mercedes, we almost employed Nico, because we didn’t know what the situation was with Lewis for 2013.

“We were having a challenging time closing that deal, and Nico was on standby. He behaved in a very mature way during those discussions.

“I made it as transparent as possible what the situation was, that there was a chance [of him racing for Mercedes], but it depended on what Lewis decided to do in the end. When Lewis did sign with us, we managed to sort things out with Nico that we couldn’t go ahead.

“But I was quite looking forward to working with him, because I think he’s a great driver. He’s very, very mature and very balanced. He’s had a great career. It’s hard to imagine that Silverstone was his first podium after so long, and after some great performances and great drives.

“So, that outcome was lovely to see, and I was particularly pleased given that I know him fairly well. It was a good result for the season.”

READ MORE: Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg’s life outside F1 from wife to height

Nico Hulkenberg misses out on another top drive in Formula 1 after Mercedes and Red Bull snub

Hulkenberg is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid right now, having made his debut with Williams in 2010.

The German driver has a single pole position and podium to his name in that time, having driven for a selection of different midfield cars throughout his career.

Brawn has now revealed that Hulkenberg nearly joined Mercedes, but that’s not the only top team that the 38-year-old nearly signed for.

Red Bull considered signing Hulkenberg instead of Sergio Perez at the end of the 2020 season.

Mercedes always wanted a German driver in the team, starting their F1 journey in 2010 with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

However, Mercedes nearly signed Nick Heidfeld instead of Schumacher as they weren’t sure whether the seven-time world champion would be ready to return to Formula 1 after a neck injury.

Damon Hill had his own theory about why Hulkenberg didn’t ever sign for a top team, but he’ll be hoping that Audi become that highly competitive outfit when they take over from Sauber full-time at the end of the current campaign.