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At the time, Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season was a massive shock within the paddock.
Nobody expected it, and yet it turned out to be the greatest move in history, after six drivers’ championships were won in partnership.
Replacing the legendary Michael Schumacher was a tricky task for Hamilton, who had just the one title to his name at the time, and hadn’t contended for a title in a few years.
Mercedes were firmly a midfield outfit, who had an optimistic long-term vision. They targeted the 2014 regulation changes, and boy, did it pay off.
Do you think another driver will ever be able to match Schumacher’s feat?
Unfortunately, Mercedes’ car didn’t suit Schumacher, and he didn’t have the belief that he could win anymore by the time 2012 rolled around. His work was a big part of their future, though.
Mercedes nearly signed Nico Hulkenberg instead of Hamilton, which would have completely transformed history.
READ MORE: Why Mercedes ‘top brass’ were once put off signing Lewis Hamilton to replace Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher was ‘positively surprised’ by Lewis Hamilton’s performance at Mercedes in 2013
Hamilton fulfilled a 2012 promise to Mercedes by going on to deliver championship success in just his second season with them in 2014.
The size of the gamble he took cannot be underestimated, but the foundations and groundwork for winning had been laid long before he walked through the door.
It’s why Schumacher was left ‘positively surprised’ by the seven-time champion’s performance during his debut season in 2013, which saw him take his first win for the Silver Arrows.
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“I have been positively surprised,” Schumacher told the BBC in 2013. “They have established themselves, and they have been able to use all the resources in a way that can keep the development slope in a positive trend.
“That’s why they are there. It’s natural that the consequence of what you see now is actually built up in the previous three years. You need to think like a gearbox, you need to find the people and move them in the right position that one is working into the other.
“That took time, but I wasn’t very optimistic that this year [2013] you would see this. So, they have done a good job.”
How Lewis Hamilton is drawing comparisons to Michael Schumacher in 2025
After deciding to join Schumacher’s former team, Ferrari, in 2024, there was a lot of excitement about what Hamilton might be able to achieve with his new team.
Could he finally eclipse Schumacher’s title record and set himself aside as the single greatest driver of all time?
So far, things haven’t gone to plan, and Hamilton’s dire season drew comparisons to Schumacher’s first with the Maranello-based outfit in 1996.
The German was a lot younger, but persisted and ran into success. A similar approach will be needed for Hamilton if he is ever to return to the top.
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