Lewis Hamilton's brother opens up on conversation with star before Ferrari move

08 February 2024 , 06:00

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Lewis Hamilton's brother Nicolas is also a racing star (Image: Getty Images)

Nicolas Hamilton has shared his stunned reaction to learning his brother Lewis will join Ferrari.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion will call time on an 11-year stint with Mercedes at the end of the coming season. At the age of 40, he intends to begin a new chapter with Ferrari which he hopes will yield the eighth title he desperately wants before retirement.

The process of making the news public moved much more quickly than expected. It was announced officially last Thursday evening, at the end of a day which was dominated by the story which had slipped out via Italian media.

That was only one day after Hamilton had informed his boss Toto Wolff that he planned to leave Mercedes. And it seems even his own brother Nicolas was only told about the seismic move at short notice.

Speaking in a live video to fans on social media, Nicolas spoke of the contact he had with his brother prior to the huge announcement. "It was so surprising," said the 31-year-old, who up to last year raced in the British Touring Car Championship.

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"If anyone doesn't know, I do public speaking. I was doing a public speech for Coca-Cola and Lewis called me the night before and I was at dinner so I said, 'Hey bro, I'll call you back when I can'. I called him later that night and he didn't pick up and he told me that he was in bed, so I was like, 'Alright, no worries'.

"And then [the next day] he said, 'Are you around', and I said, 'I'm just heading into work, I've got a speech to do. I'll catch you later tonight because I'll be free'. And he was like, 'I could really do with speaking to you now'.

"He said, 'Are you in a place where you can talk. Can you talk without anyone hearing?' And then he said, 'So, I'm going to Ferrari in 2025'. So I was like, 'Whoa! Oh my god, are you joking? That's crazy!'"

Hamilton still has a full season left with Mercedes and insists he will continue to give everything he has to end his career with the team on a high. He said: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together... Making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.

"But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I am 100 percent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."

Daniel Moxon