Sauber nearly gave Lewis Hamilton his F1 debut but ‘insisted’ on one clause that McLaren rejected

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Sauber are taking part in their final Formula 1 race at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after more than 30 years in the paddock.

Unless something incredible happens at the Yas Marina circuit, Sauber will end their time in F1 with a single victory that came thanks to Robert Kubica.

Sauber have had some brilliant drivers, but their cars have rarely been competitive enough to worry the traditional top teams on the grid.

Kimi Raikkonen, Jacques Villeneuve and Sebastian Vettel are the only world champions to have raced for Sauber in their history, but the team’s former owner, Peter Sauber, has just made a stunning admission ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut in 2007 with McLaren after winning the GP2 championship the previous year.

However, Sauber has suggested that his career could have started in a very different manner had he made one concession during negotiations with Ron Dennis and his team.

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

How Lewis Hamilton nearly made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber

Sauber spoke to Blick ahead of his former team’s final race in Formula 1 before Audi complete their takeover in 2026.

He said: “Hardly anyone knows that around 20 years ago, Lewis Hamilton almost drove for us.

“The Briton belonged to McLaren, and they wanted to send him to Hinwil for his Formula 1 apprenticeship.

“So the McLaren delegation met with Lewis and his father, as well as our in-house lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn and myself at Kloten Airport.

“The deal fell through because McLaren only wanted to loan him for one year – but we insisted on two!”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Sauber from team principal to 2026 Audi future

How would Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 career have played out if he had joined Sauber in 2007?

Sauber has revealed one of the biggest what-ifs in recent Formula 1 history with his admission about nearly signing Hamilton.

Hamilton nearly won the 2007 drivers’ championship with McLaren, whereas Sauber finished second in the constructors’ championship that year after Dennis’ team were excluded.

Kubica had just broken through with the team after replacing Villeneuve in 2006, and it’s hard to believe that Sauber would have dropped him for Hamilton if he was only on a temporary deal.

That would have spelt bad news for Nick Heidfeld, but Sauber were competitive enough that year that Hamilton would have been challenging for podiums.

What’s more interesting is that Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s fallout in 2007 wouldn’t have happened, and so the Spaniard would have likely continued with McLaren and won the championship ahead of Raikkonen, as the British driver would have split fewer points with him.

McLaren would have dealt with that combustible relationship in 2008 instead, which given the margins in the championship that year, might have seen Hamilton miss out on his first title.

From there, everything about Hamilton’s career could have changed, and so turning down a move to Sauber at that early stage of his time in Formula 1 might have been one of the best decisions he ever made.