Hamilton drove for the Frenchman’s ASM F3 team in 2005, winning the European title. The following year he graduated to GP2 with Vasseur’s rebranded ART GP outfit, again winning the championship, before moving into F1 with McLaren.
Inevitably when Vasseur joined Ferrari at the start of 2023 there was speculation that he might attempt to leverage his good relationship with Hamilton in order to lure him away from Mercedes.
That’s what eventually transpired, with the pieces falling into place early this year and Hamilton opting out of the second year of his contract.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Fred,” said Hamilton when asked by Autosport if Vasseur was the only person who could have convinced him to join Ferrari.
“Obviously I raced with him in F2 and we had amazing success in F3, and also in GP2. That’s really where the foundation of our relationship started. We always remained in touch.
“I thought that was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to F1, but at the time, he wasn’t interested in that.
“It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa team. Then when he got the job at Ferrari, I was just so happy for him.
“I think just the stars aligned, I think it really wouldn’t have happened without him. So I’m really grateful and really excited about the work that he’s doing there.”
Lewis Hamilton (GBR, ART Grand Prix) celebrates with Frederic Vasseur (FRA, ART Grand Prix) and team
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Hamilton stressed that when he first re-signed for Mercedes in August, he was still fully committed to staying with the team for two further years. However he changed his mind over the winter.
“Obviously in the summer I signed, and obviously, at that time, I saw my future with Mercedes,” he said. “But an opportunity came up at the end of the year, and I decided to take it.
“I feel like it was obviously the hardest decision I think I’ve ever had to make. I’ve been with Mercedes, I think it’s like 26 years they’ve supported me, and we’ve had an absolutely incredible journey together.
“We’ve created history within the sport, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in, and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved. But I think ultimately, I’m writing my story. And I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.”
Shortly after the news was announced Hamilton said on social media that it was a “childhood dream” to one day drive for…
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