Not necessarily. Niki Lauda was also a key member of Jaguar F1 project, and that had failed badly. Mercedes to Hamilton was like Ferrari to Schumacher. ie. A rich F1 team with huge scope for infrastructure development and huge funds to channelize on winning.
I’ve always wondered how much lauda/Hamilton knew about Mercedes involvement in developing the v6 turbo hybrid technology. If lauda knew this and told Lewis this it makes sense why he took such a gamble
@@pvaity_1289 Yeah, but Mercedes has a better history in motorsport than Jaguar. They were bound to attract major sponsorships and do whatever it took to win!
@@pvaity_1289 the problem was... Lauda was "FIRED" by Jaguar just 16 months into his role because higher ups from Jaguar that time (basically Ford) didn't believed in him because they were wanting someone with a more engineering expertise than a racing one
Mclaren in the early 2010s remind me of present day Ferrari. Two great drivers in their line up with a championship contending car but a team that is operationally incompotent on all levels e.g bad pit stops, bad strategy, poor communication. Lewis came off the back of a poor season in 2011 but I firmly believe that he was every bit as good as Alonso and Vettel in 2012 and it's rather unfortunate he finished at least 88 points off those two at the end of that season. Yes he made mistakes that year as every driver did but the amount of points he lost through no fault of his own was ridiculous to the point that Button only finished 2 points behind Hamilton. It was evidently clear that Hamilton had wiped the floor with him in 2012 e.g lapping Button on the way to winning the Canadian GP. I'm happy it has all worked out for Lewis but the revisionism in 2022 with regards to the narratives surrounding his initial move to Mercedes and the subsequent success he's had makes me laugh. Nothing Lewis does will impress his haters.
@@davidbauer2915 Oh for fuck's sake, that's ridiculous. Sainz is almost on par with Checo (7-8) with terrible strategy. Leclerc has lost at least 80 points due to Ferrari's terrible strategies. Ferrari could easily lead both the WDC with Charles and the WCC if they weren't incompetent. Put Max in the SF-75 and he'll be as fast as he is in the RB18. He'd be third on the standings if he was getting screwed over by his strategists every other race.
Im not Lewis' greatest fan, but nobody should be able to honestly deny his skill. Damn near won a wdc in his rookie season, thats just crazy. Statistically the greatest ever. However much you wanna value statistics, its got to say something
The narrative that Hamilton's move to Mercedes was just "lucky" does get frustrating. He will have definitely done his homework on the move, wasn't just like he rolled a dice😂. It was a huge risk, that paid off and I think it is underplayed the contribution that Lewis has had to Mercedes in comparison to how Schumacher impacted Ferrari. Look at how the Mercs are bouncing back (sometimes literally) this season.
Comfortably beaten by his team-mate. The Lewis taking the risky set-up line early on might hold some water, if one or two worked . Lewis is quick , but no goat, Max is probably the fastest at the moment but RB definitely benefit from prioritising him. His racing is better this year, but under pressure raises questions, not really being challenged.
@@speedybean8884fair play if that's your opinion - imo if you look through the points deficit, Hamilton has driven well this season except for his mistake at Spa. He's up on quali performance to GR, and has some great race pace as usual. Russell just been the more consistent across the season, and had a better share of the luck I can think of a few SC moments that have cost Hamilton in that regard. I think they driving at a similar level. Either way I tip Russell as the man to take Mercedes past Lewis retirement and is on a level with Verstappen and future WDC. Lewis is top 5 all time if you properly look at his career. I agree Max combined with Red Bull this year are formidable, I also agree to doubt his wheel to wheel skills, got exposed badly under pressure in those last races especially last year. Would be good to see what he's learned in a proper wheel to wheel fight going forward.
@@pjb2960 Lewis and Alonso are a shared 4th best of all time for me. I think you're definitely wrong about Max being exposed though. I'm sure there were probably one or two occasions, but when did Hamilton beat out Max in a wheel to wheel battle last year? I can't recall a single one off the top of my head.
Hot take, Merc became good cause of (including) Schumacher. Ain't no way Lewis impacted Merc within a year. The engine was in development way before LH made the switch. The engine advantage they had lasted till 17, cause Ferrari started cheating.
Thank you for covering this. There is a lot of historical revisionism around this. With many fans coming to believe that Lewis had just got lucky that Niki just handed him a clearly superior best cars, when in reality Lewis looked like he was throwing away his career with Alonso and Vettel looked far more likely for success. It’s almost kind of poetic how that played out between those drivers
The comparison of Mclaren of 2012 and today's Ferrari is spot on. I would compare Ferrari also to the Lakers. Both have become very insular, have deep institutional rot and care more about have Ferrari/Laker people running the show instead of fresh talent and the best new ideas. Both think their name brand and huge fan base will carry them to the top. I just wonder if Charles may just get fed up if the clown show continues and make a Lewis type move when his contract is up.
I still remember the interview Lewis gave to Jeremy Clarkson on top gear in 2013 where clarkson ask if the move was “like going from Man United to West Ham”. And in that interview Lewis acknowledged success won’t happen over night and also mentioned that Schumacher at one point also dropped down from a championship challenging team to a team that wasn’t positioned to challenge and build them into a machine. Over 9 years later it’s like dejavu only with Lewis as the protagonist.
I remember my dad saying that Lewis is insane for moving to Mercedes, quote "if not even Schumacher can make this team fight for championships, then no one can"
Well from a certain point of view yes, but it needs at least 1-2 years minimum to bring a team to the winning streak. Even schumacher needed 4/5 Years on Ferrari to bring them back because rebuilding the complete car from the philosophy and you and also there is this regulation on how much you can change on the car... so it needs some time more... But the initial came from Schumacher which caused the start of this development. But I must agree, that Hamilton is a very good driver but my favorite will be for ever Schumacher with the "old" Era of F1 with the V10 Engines and those more adrenaline packed putstops and strategies
Lewis is a fantastic driver I like him I respect the talent definitely one of the best ever. It was a lot the car but the team were the best and deserved their wins. Now seeing Russell beat him a lot is showing how merc hud all of their flaws with a superior power unit. Not saying they are bad but they have pit stop issues and their chassis was good but not ever the absolute best but with their power unit it didn’t matter
I argue the day Lewis decided to make the jump was 5 days before the announcement, on Sep 23rd 2012 - the day of the Singapore GP. The sight of Lewis DNFing and giving his broken down McLaren one last look before walking away was in my mind the moment Lewis made the decision.
The thing is, McLaren still competitive that season. But, he also find a crack inside team. Then Lauda convince him with good project and well running team with good trio with himself, Lauda, and Brawn (later replaced by Toto). In my opinion that time, what inside his mind was "If Mercedes have well running yeam and can create a car that as good as McLaren, I can got one or two tittle."
Let’s not forget that Schumi had also been developing that car alongside brawn and the Mercedes team. Irrelevant but also poetic how Lewis took Schumi’s last seat in F1. A passing of the torch in hindsight
@@B0CAJUN10RS1995 thats wat im sayin ppl forget that mercedes was alr developing their pu earlier than everyone before 2014 so if u think ab it lewis didn’t rlly have to do anything but jus wait for the new regulation.
@@Jayskli1820 Nonsense, Hamilton is an obsessive. He had seat and steering position reexamined, altered and his reflexes expanded that car's performance envelope. It is clear he's been at it again helping develop a car for a new era, enjoying the fruits of his labour, first through Russell's triumph, but to a greater extent next season. Hamilton is the Pele of F1.
@@B0CAJUN10RS1995 schumi isnt even known for development lmfao what was rosberg doing then? Schumi the so called goat was crashing in half of the races and being a backmarker. Rosberg was the only useful driver from 2010 to 12
In retrospect, it's understandable why people wrote Hamilton's career chances off. After all, after they purchased the Brawn team at the end of 2009, they made little progress from 2010-12, even with Michael Schumacher on the payroll. The team finished the Constructors Championship 4th in 2010 and 2011 and despite a breakthrough win and first pole for Rosberg in 2012, the team slumped to fifth, seemingly going backwards, rather than reaching the championship challenging level of competitiveness Hamilton was used to when he put pen to paper in 2012. Obviously, everyone who wrote him off ultimately has had to eat a huge amount of humble pie as not only did he vindicate his switch almost immediately, Mercedes were night and day more competitive and consistent when he joined in 2013, but he maintained his streak of scoring at least one win a year, and a year later he secured his second title, the rest is history
Well not sure if you were following f1 closely back then..many people expected merc to be very strong by 2014 because of the engine reg changes and the kind of team they built and the budget they had... It was a calculated risk and kudos to Lewis for showing the courage but at the same time he had no other option at that time other than staying at McLaren...
People often confuse ‘luck’ with working dam hard to bring success. Lewis didnt have the technical knowledge of Schumacher in his early days. I think Nico pushed him to improve on this. As it was one of Nicos strengths. Something that often is forgotten
@@jackz5241 the same teammate that he has an overall beaten in a 4years span with more victories,poles, championship even fastest lap. Thank you Mr Genius
@@romanmckenzie5674 A 43 Year Old return-from-retirement Schumacher. Even so Lewis smoked Nico and even the title Nico won was because of how many DNFs Lewis had that season and it stell went down to the final two races.
Both lewis and michael started new projects with teams with limitless budgets. Two of the most iconics brands in auto industry so they really benefited from that.
Ferrari also has had a limitless budget. Why have they not won a title in more than 10 years? To have ambitions to win a title, you need a whole lot more than limitless budgets, as you say. Just admit Hamilton took a risk, with no guarantee of future successes, only promises and it turned out to be a masterstroke.
Wasn't it Nikki Lauda who finally convinced Lewis to move over to Mercedes? Lauda said he told Lewis he will make sure it's a competitive car if Lewis moved over to Mercedes. Lauda kept his promise.
@@Turbo.RF4 Really? what are you saying? that lewis drove for lauda's eyes only? come on,we know he grew up under Ron Dennis,so he already had the means to make it to the top!
If you want to watch a great season, just watch the 2012 one: 6 world champions(Vettel, Kimi, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher), a one in the making in Rosberg, 7 different winners in first 7 races. Controversy - Lewis tweeting the telemetry in Spa, Grosjean crash in Spa as well, and many more. A roller coaster in terms of championship, and an interesting finale.
My favourite non Lewis championship winning season 😂. That year was incredible to watch, and the battle was intense for most of the year, Lewis was in it up until Singapore gear box failure, and the battle between Vettel and Alonso went to the wire. Also had to be up to watch at 1am here, no PVR back then lmao. Still disappointed Alonso lost that chip, but Vettel was amazing in the second half of that year, greatest battle in a long time, too bad 2021 was ruined by the finish, but was a great battle until then.
Went from career suicide thoughts to arguments about being one of the greatests ! He's got to be very proud of this move and everything they went through since then !
Great and insightful video. As you pointed out, drivers moving to underperforming teams with the hope of building up the team around them usually backfire; rarely do they work out. Schumacher to Ferrari and Hamilton to Mercedes being two noteworthy exceptions. I would add Niki Lauda to Ferrari in '74 to these two. Ferrari hadn't won a WDC for ten years and had a dismal 1973 season, finishing sixth in the Constructors Championship without even one podium finish. Things turned around rather quickly with Niki, getting them three WDCs by himself.
Great video. I can hear that you've given some thought to the intonation, and it makes a huge difference. Much easier to listen to and matches the great content you're creating.
Lewis was my favourite drivers and he made McLaren my favourite team, him leaving to go to merc made me start to like merc but I’ve never lost my love for McLaren
Don't forget that Mercedes was miles ahead of every team with their new engine development for 2014. Mercedes knew that and sold that promise to Lewis.
That doesn’t guarantee success, and that’s only the Power unit, it was the whole car that was dominant, merc had no idea the car would be that far ahead, and to think anyone did is laughable
@@cooramoor100 I would say its true everyone in 2014 was struggling mostly cus of the system of the PU compare to mercedes. So I think those early developents really help them alot before 2014 cus if they didn’t started early they wouldn’t even have time to prioritize the car design n everything like most of the teams.
@@Jayskli1820 actually Renault were the ones to ask for those regulations, and started the earliest on the project, mercedes got the ball rolling ahead of schedule but not before Renault had already researched and suggested the switch, and they came out the worst with the new power units. Merc did have a reliability and power advantage for sure, but that car was a monster
@@cooramoor100 Note that with that power-advantage, the rest of the car could perform less. See the 2019 Ferrari with their debatable performance… Mercedes was already working on the 1.6 v6 turbo for years to retain Mercedes in F1 after 2010 disappointing result. Paddy Lowe once pointed that Mercedes was at least 1,5 sec faster per lap in 2014/2015 but didn’t to avoid any interventions by the FIA. They could lap every car each race for one or multiple times.
@@cooramoor100 aero wise i believe that RB was on the same level as Merc for the entire hybrid era. Hungary, Mexico, Monaco and a few other high downforce tracks were tracks that the RB beat the Merc on pure pace many times.
I agree here that Lewis played a massive part into making Mercedes what they were in the last decade. Yes the infrastructure was top and they had designed top cars, you still need a driver to finish it off. They had that with Lewis and as much people say "anyone besides him could’ve done it" is false.
The important part that is omitted here imo is that these projects weren’t about Michael or Lewis. They were ambitious projects for many people and their passion, hard work and a little bit of luck made it possible for those drivers. Also, Lewis did many test runs with Mercedes, it’s not like he was blindly trusting them. Same goes for Michael when I think Brawn or Todt told him you’re already a champion but if you win with the red car, you’ll be global super star.
Just wanted to say, your speech sounded more natural on this video. Definitely preferred this style to some previous videos I've seen. Keep up the good work!
Mercedes would've had the same or at minimum equivalent success whether they hired Lewis, Alonso, Vettel, or even just a second driver to Rosberg. This legacy wasn't built by Lewis, it was built by Mercedes engines more than any other component
@@Cos_Why_Not first thing Nico wouldnt stand a chance against Lewis in the long run. Second thing,they didn't hire Lewis ,Lewis chose them.he took the risk just like Michael.Alonso will never go to a new team.and Vettel is insanely lucky to be at redbull and I don't think turbo hybrids are suitable for Vettel. Yes,the Mercedes engines are powerful.the risk paid off.
0:57 I think it boiled down to one main reason. These new engine regs are going to be expensive. And we’re making both the car and the engine, and look at all the money we’re going to be spending. You don’t want to be at a customer team during this era Mercedes told him that, showed Lewis their wallet, and Lewis was like: Ah, good point. Thanks for the heads up, where do I sign?
I've not watched it all yet BUT im so glad you started by saying how people have rewrote history. I still remember Hamilton going on TOP GEAR and Clarkson saying isn't that like going from Manchester United to West Ham.
I'm both a Mercedes and Lewis fan. There were some additional issues. Back then, McLaren was one of the most rigid teams on F1. You had a dress code. You can't keep the original driver trophies. He did clash with Sam Michaels. Back then, Mercedes was beginning to get more factory support from Daimler. As far as I remember, the only person that supported his move was Sir Stirling Moss. Almost everyone thought about a dead end move. I felt that after Singapore and that DNF from the lead, his body language walking out off of the car spoke loud of giving up on them. McLaren needed almost a decade to sort out its issues.
"Isn't that like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?" said a genius once. Honestly Man United is a hopeless case at the moment...I would understand why people would move away. They ain't the same without Fergie
@@hallamhal if you want a good laugh and some light-hearted moments you listen to people like Clarkson. If you want actual knowledge about cars you don't listen to Clarkson. He himself has said that his Top Gear was geared more towards comedy rather than in-depth automotive knowledge.
BRAVO!!! This was definitely a GOAT move. Brave on his part because most drivers wouldn’t dare do that. No one likes to leave comfort or the easy street. And ppl like to say now that they knew Mercedes was gonna be huge, but that’s a lie and is revisionist history. I remember everyone was laughing at the time and his fans were upset. I never forgot. 😂 However, ppl have also always doubted Lewis it seems and they still doubt him now which is funny. It’s like he’s the underdog this season, but I think he’s been enjoying having ppl doubt him again. I love seeing this Lewis. Still He Rises.
But you must remember Schumacher did this 2 times to build up a team and g Have some challenges, first at Ferrari and then by his Comeback at Mercedes... I think that with the work of Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda was a not so "small" advantage for Lewis, but he is still a very good driver and he deserved these titles
"technically won one race since 1955" is a misnomer. Mercedes were previously Brawn (8 wins, 1 WDC, 1 WCC), Honda (1 win), BAR (0 wins), and Tyrrell (23 wins, 2 WDC, 1 WCC as a constructor). The Mercedes team of 1954-5 shares only a name with today's team, like the Enstone Renault wasn't the same team as the one from the 70s and 80s.
In 2012 McLaren, as a customer team, had a downward trajectory, while Mercedes had an upwards one. It wasn’t a shot in the dark, it was a logical choice
Hard to believe that people originally believed he had taken a huge step backwards when joining Mercedes’, but it was the most genius career mode of all time, LH truly is a gifted genius, both on track and off. He truly is everything good about our sport, and the face of it. Truly makes me sad he’s not challenging at the front right now
Would not say it hurt them lol, but Micheal was far from best his best at the point, but his drive to succeed and improve the car I’m sure had an effect. He also couldn’t do unlimited testing in this era like he use to do with Ferrari back in the day
I am so glad we have this non revisionist, actual history, and I hope for the sake of my sanity that we can all look back and actually realise what a journey Lewis has had and we actually then see the scale and scope of the robbery in Abu Dhabi for what it was. What a brilliant Video, but this story could have been a 2 hour film on its own, including the issues with Jenson and the team starting to favour him when (according to the media). There were so many elements that led to this decision, and the team he assembled has become very rich because everyone is getting paid a fortune to jump ship to others hoping to steal their success.
I remember I started watching f1 in 2011, so I didn’t know who Ross brawn really was, and certainly didn’t know enough about brawn GP. I remember him going to Mercedes and thinking it was kind of a joke to go there. And was absolutely shocked when I watch Bahrain 2014 and saw him and Nico fighting so far ahead.
The difference in your comparison with Schumacher is that Michael left Benetton at a high. He went on a hunt for greatness. Hamilton left because he was disappointed with McLaren and their failures in 2012. Had he won that championship I can’t see him leaving that year.
It’s also worth bearing in mind Mercedes had a 40% stake in McLaren when it was McLaren Mercedes. Mercedes making their own team pulled out all that funding
Never underestimate Micheal Schumacher as a developmental driver. He left Ferrari and Mercedes both as championship contenders in the following seasons.
Mercedes weren't competing for a title in 2013. So you're just factually wrong. Ross Brawn was far more important. Brawn can actually produce championship winning teams and cars without Schumacher.
@@isaacm2374 Barely, Michael played a role in advising Ross to keep Jenson and Barrichello for 09 despite the fact there were GP2 drivers who wanted to sign for the team. On top of that, apart from Brawn GP, Michael led every team they were both part of, and Ross was always much more successful with Michael (excluding merc,) and even then, a large part of why Michael was so successful was by convincing the Mercedes board to put more money into the F1 outfit and build a brand around it. (Ross Brawn said so in the Michael Schumacher documentary on F1TV) Which is exactly what they've done to great effect.
@@isaacm2374 following seasonS. Plural = seasons. Lewis fans can never seem to read right. There's a reason the Mercedes engineers credit Schumacher and Lewis does so much to sweep his name under a rug, he wants to lie to the world that he developed a championship winning team when all those with a brain know that he's piggybacking of Schumacher's efforts for 6 of his titles.
this is a very Josh Revell'ish channel and good to lurk in and listen to it is VERY NICE, good quallity, thank you for some extra F1 videos to watch to
Yeah, I remember similar articles and narratives being made when Schumacher moved to Ferrari, why would he leave Benetton for Ferrari who weren't even in the conversation for world championships if not just for money, but both drivers proved them wrong. Incidently both times Ross Brawn was involved, he moved with Schumacher to Ferrari and ran Mercedes, and you never doubt Brawn not getting things rights eventually.
This is what a lot of supposed F1 fans forget about Lewis’s move to Mercedes. Mercedes was at the back of the grid and Lewis took a gamble with the new team, that was not winning at the time. Lewis took fantastic council from a legend in F1 Niki Lauda. R.I.P. Niki Lauda fantastic driver and amazing mentor.
Mercedes always finished well clear from the rest of the midfield, they scored wins and poles even before Lewis. They were getting stronger anyway, Hamilton just saw that potential
@@Pippus4 They had just one pole and one win (courtesy of Nico Rosberg) in the three years in the sport before Lewis came. Yes they were (sometimes) the best of the midfield, but they were also outperformed by Lotus-Renault in 2012. The potential was in the budget and the people (Ross Brawn, Niki Lauda). The management was also less dictatorial than at McLaren which was especially appealing to Hamilton.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933 You get it all wrong. It wasn't ''just one pole and one win.'' It was the start of success and many knew and understood that already. You make it sound like it was considered a lucky one off, which it simply wasn't. Nico Rosberg himself immediately knew there was more to come. In fact he felt betrayed with the joining of Hamilton due to all of this. It was no secret to many people that Mercedes would definitely be up there. People already knew they had been developing their engine for much longer than others. It's this single fact that most attribute to Mercedes' entire dominance over the years. 10 years more development that any other team on the most crucial part of the car in those years even Renault who knew exactly what to do as well. Heck, if we would revert back to engine modes for quali and the race right now, Mercedes would probably grab several pole positions already. If not just dominate the championship outright assuming they fix their aero. They nearly did dominate in 2021 without the modes and just a couple fresh ICE's (they are actually doing just that, this weekend with the ''silver Red Bull'')
@@SevenTheMisgiven They still have the most powerful engine on the grid. We don't even need to talk about engine modes. But it doesn't matter. Their car is too flawed aerodynamically to be successful. And no, they never dominated in 2021. They did get a new engine for Brazil, but after that Hamilton used that engine to see out the season. He didn't change engines in all of the last four races. The W03 was a flawed car, so yes, that China win and Monaco pole were track-specific. It wasn't "lucky" (never did I say that), but it was only a top car in specific tracks. What showed to me that Mercedes was moving up was the W04 (the 2013 car). Even though they struggled with race pace, the car was fast in qualifying, and it was a good base to use for their 2014 car.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933 Yeah you are one of those that didn't even watch 2021. You can't count tracks. So we can't take you seriously about where Mercedes was strong and when. ;) People immediately counted the tracks in 2021 and Mercedes was stronger for 80% of the season in case you are genuinely interested. But I doubt it. Anyway take care.
I hate how everyone thinks Lewis joined Merc, Merc sold him on a car that would be dominant because of the new engine regs and Lewis sat back and just won because he had the fastest car. That narrative is so common these days, they act as if Lewis didnt even drive the car. As if he was a passenger in a rocket while others were in family sedans. That Merc wouldnt be as dominant without Lewis driving it and Lewis wouldnt be a 7 time champion if he wasnt driving the Merc. They both needed each other. How many legendary drives has Lewis put together throughout the last 10 years......How many times did he scrape something out of nothing......Time and time again he shows us RACE fans how spectacular he is, but some people just see Lewis and dismiss it. The guy has so many of F1s most legendary drives and people discount him because he wins a lot or his race, his fashion, his off-track personality, his mistakes, his accidents, ect..... Just appreciate the legend while we still have him.
Funny how his move to Mercedes was once considered legacy-tarnishing because he wouldn't achieve anything, and now it's legacy-tarnishing because so many people have minimized his unrivaled success as a byproduct of Mercedes' dominance.
Yes, it's always a hard dissision to move on. Not always good look at Alonso. They told Max to leave RB in 2017/18 because he would never become a world champion there.bad engines so it can go both ways
It was time. As a fan of Lewis it felt like his time at Maclaren was growing stale. I liked that 1) he was getting a new start, and 2) it was with Brawn/Merdeces where there was obvious potential.
Imagine Leclerc makes a ballsy move to the new Audi or even potential Porsche team, if Ferrari keep being Ferrari i wouldn't be surprised if Leclerc is forced into a very tough decision, especially considering his personal connection with Ferrari
Niki Lauda , commented on Ronnie Peterson's career in a bio pic movie He said that when Ronnie joined Lotus in 1973 " joined the team when they were at their best - so they were going to fall " , I find it interesting because that's what happend with Lewis , mclaren were at the top then they fell... but the only thing they both gambled Lewis won with Mercedes, Ronnie couldn't find the pace in the March or the Tyrrell...
The narrative I see a lot is that Schumacher joined Mercedes, built them up, then left the great team for lewis on a silver plate. I call bullshit. This is simply not the case. Michael helped with car development of course, but the leadership role that Lewis played cannot be underestimated or downplayed. Look at the team Lewis had just left. McLaren. They had a great car and they didn't win. Why? The leadership within the team wss severely lacking. Michael Schumacher, Toto Wolff, and Lewis Hamilton should all hold equal credit for the giant that Mercedes is today. However I see people crediting Toto and Michael a lot more than Lewis and it gets infuriating. Right here I will say this, Lewis Hamilton is the most underrated F1 driver in the history of the sport. He has 7 titles and 90% of F1 fans shit on him for it.
Rosberg deserves far, far more credit for the development of the team and car than Hamilton and Schumacher combined. If Lewis is underrated or unappreciated, what does that make Rosberg?
Great video mate 👍 loved the comparison of him and Schumacher. They both took the teams to Great success. Never really thought about it before. Project drivers!!!
Lewis is the benchmark of what everyone who’s currently in F1 or looking to join F1 should be like. He’s an international superstar, the most successful and possibly the best F1 driver of all time, and proudly makes it known of the struggles people of color and supports the LGBTQ community proudly. Looking at it from a legacy standpoint, the things he’s done off track and on track have cemented him as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time
2012 was a critical year, Lewis rebounded from a patchy 2011 with a phenomenal season of driving, he lost a ridiculous amount of points through no fault of his own. Nobody can claim that McLaren was better than the Red Bull either. But Mercedes noticed what LH was doing and wanted it in their car. Done alright out of it, I reckon.
This is why some great drivers succeed more than other great drivers. Lewis had to make a decision for his career and he couldn't have made a better one. Then you have drivers like Alonso that unless the Aston Martin move works, can't make a good move to save their lives
Great vid @Aldas. As a Lewis fan, I was somewhat ambivalent towards it. But with the way things were shaping up on the team, where Jenson was "more preferred," I accepted the move. Look at him now!!!!>
Mercedes was in 2012 far away in terms of developing the 2014 engine comperison to the competition. Of course is always a bit of a gamble. But the future looked very promissing for Hamilton. I still think the Schumacher move to Ferrari was more impressive.
I see it a foundations lewis and nico built the team up from 2013 to 2016, he did it with bottas from 2017-2021 and now him and Russel will build the team up again then he'll pass the baton to russel and the other driver in the future
People knew since 2007 and 2008 Mercedes was making a massive engine proyect in order to be competitive in the new rules change regulations in 2014. Merc only needed a good chasis and a good team, and they got it.
To be fair to Mercedes, they were a solid group when he joined. They were just lacking funds and development for that period, after fallen behind, having lost Honda. They were approaching the top, having finish 2nd in 2013. Then, they were blessed with Lewis and Nico, two extremely talented and competitive drivers who pushed themselves and the team together. That created the environment that allowed the team to succeed immediately the next year. Lewis no doubt played a huge part in car development for the team. It took 2 hands to clap, and both were just happened to be spectacular, being at the right place at the right time. I doubt they both could have gotten as much as glory individually, but together they were and are a powerhouse. Mercedes were on the back foot in 2017 and 2018, so those years were won thanks to Lewis amazing ability and consistency. On the other hand, the first 3 and the last 2 were no doubt due to the team's incredible development. Even last year, they had a great car and Lewis was still incredible.
I remember in my family everone said the same about the move to Mercedes but i was all for it even more when i knew Niki Toto and Lewis are at the same team.
Vettel would have been Mercedes' first choice (German car, German driver) but Lewis Hamilton was always the man to beat even when he wasn't winning, McLaren let Hamilton down. Michael Schumacher would have probably won 2-3 more titles had he stayed on at Mercedes. Some forget, Mercedes received Hamilton when the new powertrain and regulations: Mercedes just got it right until this season.
Niki and Michael really contribute to Mercedes, plus Mercedes is rich. To be honest, it's not a gamble game, it's a patience game before huge wins and celebrations.
One does not simply deny Niki Lauda when he rings you up to join him in an F1 project
Not necessarily.
Niki Lauda was also a key member of Jaguar F1 project, and that had failed badly.
Mercedes to Hamilton was like Ferrari to Schumacher. ie. A rich F1 team with huge scope for infrastructure development and huge funds to channelize on winning.
lauda also took part in schumacher's switch to ferrari
I’ve always wondered how much lauda/Hamilton knew about Mercedes involvement in developing the v6 turbo hybrid technology. If lauda knew this and told Lewis this it makes sense why he took such a gamble
@@pvaity_1289 Yeah, but Mercedes has a better history in motorsport than Jaguar. They were bound to attract major sponsorships and do whatever it took to win!
@@pvaity_1289 the problem was... Lauda was "FIRED" by Jaguar just 16 months into his role because higher ups from Jaguar that time (basically Ford) didn't believed in him because they were wanting someone with a more engineering expertise than a racing one
Mclaren in the early 2010s remind me of present day Ferrari. Two great drivers in their line up with a championship contending car but a team that is operationally incompotent on all levels e.g bad pit stops, bad strategy, poor communication. Lewis came off the back of a poor season in 2011 but I firmly believe that he was every bit as good as Alonso and Vettel in 2012 and it's rather unfortunate he finished at least 88 points off those two at the end of that season. Yes he made mistakes that year as every driver did but the amount of points he lost through no fault of his own was ridiculous to the point that Button only finished 2 points behind Hamilton. It was evidently clear that Hamilton had wiped the floor with him in 2012 e.g lapping Button on the way to winning the Canadian GP. I'm happy it has all worked out for Lewis but the revisionism in 2022 with regards to the narratives surrounding his initial move to Mercedes and the subsequent success he's had makes me laugh. Nothing Lewis does will impress his haters.
Well said!!!!
I don’t see any mistakes he made in 2012, absolutely none
Please can you tell me which 2 drivers are now driving for Ferrari ? Because one cannot keep it on track and the second one is fast as a slot.
@@davidbauer2915 Oh for fuck's sake, that's ridiculous. Sainz is almost on par with Checo (7-8) with terrible strategy. Leclerc has lost at least 80 points due to Ferrari's terrible strategies. Ferrari could easily lead both the WDC with Charles and the WCC if they weren't incompetent. Put Max in the SF-75 and he'll be as fast as he is in the RB18. He'd be third on the standings if he was getting screwed over by his strategists every other race.
Im not Lewis' greatest fan, but nobody should be able to honestly deny his skill. Damn near won a wdc in his rookie season, thats just crazy. Statistically the greatest ever. However much you wanna value statistics, its got to say something
The narrative that Hamilton's move to Mercedes was just "lucky" does get frustrating. He will have definitely done his homework on the move, wasn't just like he rolled a dice😂. It was a huge risk, that paid off and I think it is underplayed the contribution that Lewis has had to Mercedes in comparison to how Schumacher impacted Ferrari. Look at how the Mercs are bouncing back (sometimes literally) this season.
Comfortably beaten by his team-mate. The Lewis taking the risky set-up line early on might hold some water, if one or two worked .
Lewis is quick , but no goat, Max is probably the fastest at the moment but RB definitely benefit from prioritising him. His racing is better this year, but under pressure raises questions, not really being challenged.
Also, if you're being backed up by Lausa himself it gives some confidence for choosing... unless it's an airline.
@@speedybean8884fair play if that's your opinion - imo if you look through the points deficit, Hamilton has driven well this season except for his mistake at Spa. He's up on quali performance to GR, and has some great race pace as usual. Russell just been the more consistent across the season, and had a better share of the luck I can think of a few SC moments that have cost Hamilton in that regard. I think they driving at a similar level. Either way I tip Russell as the man to take Mercedes past Lewis retirement and is on a level with Verstappen and future WDC. Lewis is top 5 all time if you properly look at his career. I agree Max combined with Red Bull this year are formidable, I also agree to doubt his wheel to wheel skills, got exposed badly under pressure in those last races especially last year. Would be good to see what he's learned in a proper wheel to wheel fight going forward.
@@pjb2960 Lewis and Alonso are a shared 4th best of all time for me. I think you're definitely wrong about Max being exposed though. I'm sure there were probably one or two occasions, but when did Hamilton beat out Max in a wheel to wheel battle last year? I can't recall a single one off the top of my head.
Hot take, Merc became good cause of (including) Schumacher. Ain't no way Lewis impacted Merc within a year. The engine was in development way before LH made the switch. The engine advantage they had lasted till 17, cause Ferrari started cheating.
Arguably if not undoubtedly the smartest switch in F1 history
Thank you for covering this. There is a lot of historical revisionism around this. With many fans coming to believe that Lewis had just got lucky that Niki just handed him a clearly superior best cars, when in reality Lewis looked like he was throwing away his career with Alonso and Vettel looked far more likely for success. It’s almost kind of poetic how that played out between those drivers
sounds like a smart carier choice and not luck, he knew Niki he trusted him and they delivered
The comparison of Mclaren of 2012 and today's Ferrari is spot on. I would compare Ferrari also to the Lakers. Both have become very insular, have deep institutional rot and care more about have Ferrari/Laker people running the show instead of fresh talent and the best new ideas. Both think their name brand and huge fan base will carry them to the top. I just wonder if Charles may just get fed up if the clown show continues and make a Lewis type move when his contract is up.
Charles in Audi 😳
I still remember the interview Lewis gave to Jeremy Clarkson on top gear in 2013 where clarkson ask if the move was “like going from Man United to West Ham”. And in that interview Lewis acknowledged success won’t happen over night and also mentioned that Schumacher at one point also dropped down from a championship challenging team to a team that wasn’t positioned to challenge and build them into a machine. Over 9 years later it’s like dejavu only with Lewis as the protagonist.
at this point, its probally better to go from man u to west ham
I remember my dad saying that Lewis is insane for moving to Mercedes, quote "if not even Schumacher can make this team fight for championships, then no one can"
boy was he wrong
Well from a certain point of view yes, but it needs at least 1-2 years minimum to bring a team to the winning streak. Even schumacher needed 4/5 Years on Ferrari to bring them back because rebuilding the complete car from the philosophy and you and also there is this regulation on how much you can change on the car... so it needs some time more...
But the initial came from Schumacher which caused the start of this development.
But I must agree, that Hamilton is a very good driver but my favorite will be for ever Schumacher with the "old" Era of F1 with the V10 Engines and those more adrenaline packed putstops and strategies
@@deathistherevenge You do not know how obsessive Hamilton is. He transformed that car.
Lewis is a fantastic driver I like him I respect the talent definitely one of the best ever. It was a lot the car but the team were the best and deserved their wins. Now seeing Russell beat him a lot is showing how merc hud all of their flaws with a superior power unit. Not saying they are bad but they have pit stop issues and their chassis was good but not ever the absolute best but with their power unit it didn’t matter
Dad was wrong 😂
I argue the day Lewis decided to make the jump was 5 days before the announcement, on Sep 23rd 2012 - the day of the Singapore GP. The sight of Lewis DNFing and giving his broken down McLaren one last look before walking away was in my mind the moment Lewis made the decision.
His detractors definitely had a field day that race.
The thing is, McLaren still competitive that season. But, he also find a crack inside team. Then Lauda convince him with good project and well running team with good trio with himself, Lauda, and Brawn (later replaced by Toto). In my opinion that time, what inside his mind was "If Mercedes have well running yeam and can create a car that as good as McLaren, I can got one or two tittle."
Let’s not forget that Schumi had also been developing that car alongside brawn and the Mercedes team. Irrelevant but also poetic how Lewis took Schumi’s last seat in F1. A passing of the torch in hindsight
Jesus that last sentence burned the rest of my brain cells 😂
@@B0CAJUN10RS1995 thats wat im sayin ppl forget that mercedes was alr developing their pu earlier than everyone before 2014 so if u think ab it lewis didn’t rlly have to do anything but jus wait for the new regulation.
@@Jayskli1820 Nonsense, Hamilton is an obsessive. He had seat and steering position reexamined, altered and his reflexes expanded that car's performance envelope. It is clear he's been at it again helping develop a car for a new era, enjoying the fruits of his labour, first through Russell's triumph, but to a greater extent next season. Hamilton is the Pele of F1.
@@B0CAJUN10RS1995 schumi isnt even known for development lmfao what was rosberg doing then? Schumi the so called goat was crashing in half of the races and being a backmarker. Rosberg was the only useful driver from 2010 to 12
In retrospect, it's understandable why people wrote Hamilton's career chances off. After all, after they purchased the Brawn team at the end of 2009, they made little progress from 2010-12, even with Michael Schumacher on the payroll. The team finished the Constructors Championship 4th in 2010 and 2011 and despite a breakthrough win and first pole for Rosberg in 2012, the team slumped to fifth, seemingly going backwards, rather than reaching the championship challenging level of competitiveness Hamilton was used to when he put pen to paper in 2012.
Obviously, everyone who wrote him off ultimately has had to eat a huge amount of humble pie as not only did he vindicate his switch almost immediately, Mercedes were night and day more competitive and consistent when he joined in 2013, but he maintained his streak of scoring at least one win a year, and a year later he secured his second title, the rest is history
After that move I thought Lewis would never win another championship
@norman-m [KANDAGAIGO] Mercedes never stays still wherever they are competing in motorsport. They will be back and people will complain again.
Well not sure if you were following f1 closely back then..many people expected merc to be very strong by 2014 because of the engine reg changes and the kind of team they built and the budget they had... It was a calculated risk and kudos to Lewis for showing the courage but at the same time he had no other option at that time other than staying at McLaren...
@norman-m [KANDAGAIGO] i personally thought it too.
"Isn't that like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?" - Jeremy Clarkson on Hamiltons move, 2012
People often confuse ‘luck’ with working dam hard to bring success. Lewis didnt have the technical knowledge of Schumacher in his early days. I think Nico pushed him to improve on this. As it was one of Nicos strengths. Something that often is forgotten
@@jackz5241 clearly the words of someone who chose to ignore this video and just look for a factual comment to disagree with hate.
@@jackz5241 the same teammate that he has an overall beaten in a 4years span with more victories,poles, championship even fastest lap. Thank you Mr Genius
@@jackz5241 the same teammate that beat schumacher 3 seasons in a row
@@jackz5241 bro must be having open head surgery because you’re paying Lewis to be in your head at this point
@@romanmckenzie5674 A 43 Year Old return-from-retirement Schumacher. Even so Lewis smoked Nico and even the title Nico won was because of how many DNFs Lewis had that season and it stell went down to the final two races.
It's 2012 all over again!!! Can Lewis make it work at Ferrari?!?!? 🤯
Both lewis and michael started new projects with teams with limitless budgets. Two of the most iconics brands in auto industry so they really benefited from that.
Ferrari also has had a limitless budget. Why have they not won a title in more than 10 years? To have ambitions to win a title, you need a whole lot more than limitless budgets, as you say. Just admit Hamilton took a risk, with no guarantee of future successes, only promises and it turned out to be a masterstroke.
This "cash grab" narrative is pretty hilarious in hindsight
Wasn't it Nikki Lauda who finally convinced Lewis to move over to Mercedes? Lauda said he told Lewis he will make sure it's a competitive car if Lewis moved over to Mercedes. Lauda kept his promise.
Ross Brawn did too
Angie Ng so Lewis had the "means"to help him move to Mercedes,get a competitive car and win championships! while other drivers weren't as lucky!!
@@thund3rbolt54 there's definitely a reason why Lauda convinced him. Not other driver
@@thund3rbolt54 Thats because lewis proved himself enough to lauda. Luck or not, it will come to anyone who had already proven themselves.
@@Turbo.RF4 Really? what are you saying? that lewis drove for lauda's eyes only? come on,we know he grew up under Ron Dennis,so he already had the means to make it to the top!
If you want to watch a great season, just watch the 2012 one: 6 world champions(Vettel, Kimi, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Schumacher), a one in the making in Rosberg, 7 different winners in first 7 races. Controversy - Lewis tweeting the telemetry in Spa, Grosjean crash in Spa as well, and many more. A roller coaster in terms of championship, and an interesting finale.
My favourite non Lewis championship winning season 😂. That year was incredible to watch, and the battle was intense for most of the year, Lewis was in it up until Singapore gear box failure, and the battle between Vettel and Alonso went to the wire. Also had to be up to watch at 1am here, no PVR back then lmao. Still disappointed Alonso lost that chip, but Vettel was amazing in the second half of that year, greatest battle in a long time, too bad 2021 was ruined by the finish, but was a great battle until then.
I swear y’all this is gonna repeat itself with Alonso to Aston Martin
except aston martin is not mercedes
Alonso winning a 3rd championship almost 20 years after his 2nd would be fucking incredible
@@txufx9267 they could become the next Mercedes though… probably not but they could
Bro what are you smoking pass me some of that shit🤣
One can dream my friend, one can dream
Went from career suicide thoughts to arguments about being one of the greatests !
He's got to be very proud of this move and everything they went through since then !
Great and insightful video. As you pointed out, drivers moving to underperforming teams with the hope of building up the team around them usually backfire; rarely do they work out. Schumacher to Ferrari and Hamilton to Mercedes being two noteworthy exceptions. I would add Niki Lauda to Ferrari in '74 to these two. Ferrari hadn't won a WDC for ten years and had a dismal 1973 season, finishing sixth in the Constructors Championship without even one podium finish. Things turned around rather quickly with Niki, getting them three WDCs by himself.
Great video. I can hear that you've given some thought to the intonation, and it makes a huge difference. Much easier to listen to and matches the great content you're creating.
Lewis was my favourite drivers and he made McLaren my favourite team, him leaving to go to merc made me start to like merc but I’ve never lost my love for McLaren
Don't forget that Mercedes was miles ahead of every team with their new engine development for 2014. Mercedes knew that and sold that promise to Lewis.
That doesn’t guarantee success, and that’s only the Power unit, it was the whole car that was dominant, merc had no idea the car would be that far ahead, and to think anyone did is laughable
@@cooramoor100 I would say its true everyone in 2014 was struggling mostly cus of the system of the PU compare to mercedes. So I think those early developents really help them alot before 2014 cus if they didn’t started early they wouldn’t even have time to prioritize the car design n everything like most of the teams.
@@Jayskli1820 actually Renault were the ones to ask for those regulations, and started the earliest on the project, mercedes got the ball rolling ahead of schedule but not before Renault had already researched and suggested the switch, and they came out the worst with the new power units. Merc did have a reliability and power advantage for sure, but that car was a monster
@@cooramoor100 Note that with that power-advantage, the rest of the car could perform less. See the 2019 Ferrari with their debatable performance… Mercedes was already working on the 1.6 v6 turbo for years to retain Mercedes in F1 after 2010 disappointing result. Paddy Lowe once pointed that Mercedes was at least 1,5 sec faster per lap in 2014/2015 but didn’t to avoid any interventions by the FIA. They could lap every car each race for one or multiple times.
@@cooramoor100 aero wise i believe that RB was on the same level as Merc for the entire hybrid era. Hungary, Mexico, Monaco and a few other high downforce tracks were tracks that the RB beat the Merc on pure pace many times.
I agree here that Lewis played a massive part into making Mercedes what they were in the last decade. Yes the infrastructure was top and they had designed top cars, you still need a driver to finish it off. They had that with Lewis and as much people say "anyone besides him could’ve done it" is false.
ALDAS YOU ARE A GEM! PLEASE BRING MORE SUCH VIDEOS ON DRIVERS BUILDING DYNASTY TEAMS.
The important part that is omitted here imo is that these projects weren’t about Michael or Lewis. They were ambitious projects for many people and their passion, hard work and a little bit of luck made it possible for those drivers. Also, Lewis did many test runs with Mercedes, it’s not like he was blindly trusting them. Same goes for Michael when I think Brawn or Todt told him you’re already a champion but if you win with the red car, you’ll be global super star.
Best move in formula 1 history and the results proves it
Just wanted to say, your speech sounded more natural on this video. Definitely preferred this style to some previous videos I've seen. Keep up the good work!
Senna ,Alonso : Crude race winners
Lewis ,Michael : legacy builders
Mercedes would've had the same or at minimum equivalent success whether they hired Lewis, Alonso, Vettel, or even just a second driver to Rosberg. This legacy wasn't built by Lewis, it was built by Mercedes engines more than any other component
@@Cos_Why_Not first thing Nico wouldnt stand a chance against Lewis in the long run.
Second thing,they didn't hire Lewis ,Lewis chose them.he took the risk just like Michael.Alonso will never go to a new team.and Vettel is insanely lucky to be at redbull and I don't think turbo hybrids are suitable for Vettel.
Yes,the Mercedes engines are powerful.the risk paid off.
Hamilton's move to mercedes was what people thought Dani Ric's move to renault would be
Not me man, when I heard he did that I though "what the hell is this guy thinking?"
0:57 I think it boiled down to one main reason. These new engine regs are going to be expensive. And we’re making both the car and the engine, and look at all the money we’re going to be spending.
You don’t want to be at a customer team during this era
Mercedes told him that, showed Lewis their wallet, and Lewis was like: Ah, good point. Thanks for the heads up, where do I sign?
I've not watched it all yet BUT im so glad you started by saying how people have rewrote history. I still remember Hamilton going on TOP GEAR and Clarkson saying isn't that like going from Manchester United to West Ham.
I thought he was throwing his career away. It turns out it has been the greatest career decision in the history of motor racing.
McLaren squandered Hamilton’s potential and Mercedes unlocked it
Coincidence, Ross Brawn had a major role on Michael and Lewis that’s the Brawn effect and Nicki too
0:49 you have got to be kidding me...
I'm both a Mercedes and Lewis fan. There were some additional issues. Back then, McLaren was one of the most rigid teams on F1. You had a dress code. You can't keep the original driver trophies. He did clash with Sam Michaels. Back then, Mercedes was beginning to get more factory support from Daimler. As far as I remember, the only person that supported his move was Sir Stirling Moss. Almost everyone thought about a dead end move. I felt that after Singapore and that DNF from the lead, his body language walking out off of the car spoke loud of giving up on them. McLaren needed almost a decade to sort out its issues.
This move is very reminiscent to Schumacher's decision to join Ferrari. He wanted the challenge to build a struggling team to an empire.
Nikki Lauda is like on of those coach in anime where they are former legend that help young athlete to surpass their legendary status
"Isn't that like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?" said a genius once.
Honestly Man United is a hopeless case at the moment...I would understand why people would move away. They ain't the same without Fergie
Ah yes, Clarkson wasn't it? Sometimes his genius... it's almost frightening
@@hallamhal if you want a good laugh and some light-hearted moments you listen to people like Clarkson. If you want actual knowledge about cars you don't listen to Clarkson. He himself has said that his Top Gear was geared more towards comedy rather than in-depth automotive knowledge.
This video gives me hope that Sauber Audi will come up the ranks.
Ps. I still hope Porches invests in Williams.
BRAVO!!! This was definitely a GOAT move. Brave on his part because most drivers wouldn’t dare do that. No one likes to leave comfort or the easy street. And ppl like to say now that they knew Mercedes was gonna be huge, but that’s a lie and is revisionist history. I remember everyone was laughing at the time and his fans were upset. I never forgot. 😂
However, ppl have also always doubted Lewis it seems and they still doubt him now which is funny. It’s like he’s the underdog this season, but I think he’s been enjoying having ppl doubt him again. I love seeing this Lewis. Still He Rises.
But you must remember Schumacher did this 2 times to build up a team and g
Have some challenges, first at Ferrari and then by his Comeback at Mercedes...
I think that with the work of Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda was a not so "small" advantage for Lewis, but he is still a very good driver and he deserved these titles
You've made me wish there was a Lewis vs Seb in 2013 now 😭
One of the best videos you have made. Love these deep dives.
"technically won one race since 1955" is a misnomer.
Mercedes were previously Brawn (8 wins, 1 WDC, 1 WCC), Honda (1 win), BAR (0 wins), and Tyrrell (23 wins, 2 WDC, 1 WCC as a constructor). The Mercedes team of 1954-5 shares only a name with today's team, like the Enstone Renault wasn't the same team as the one from the 70s and 80s.
i was expecting Merc to became good team 1. it's Brawn GP anyway 2. Schumi was always great driver to create team but i didn't expect next few years
In 2012 McLaren, as a customer team, had a downward trajectory, while Mercedes had an upwards one.
It wasn’t a shot in the dark, it was a logical choice
Hard to believe that people originally believed he had taken a huge step backwards when joining Mercedes’, but it was the most genius career mode of all time, LH truly is a gifted genius, both on track and off. He truly is everything good about our sport, and the face of it. Truly makes me sad he’s not challenging at the front right now
I think it'd be interesting to see if he could handle Indy or even the Nascar racing.
I would even go so far and say that Michael helped a bit to kickstart Mercedes.
He brought a lot of needed experience in that team.
Would not say it hurt them lol, but Micheal was far from best his best at the point, but his drive to succeed and improve the car I’m sure had an effect. He also couldn’t do unlimited testing in this era like he use to do with Ferrari back in the day
I am so glad we have this non revisionist, actual history, and I hope for the sake of my sanity that we can all look back and actually realise what a journey Lewis has had and we actually then see the scale and scope of the robbery in Abu Dhabi for what it was. What a brilliant Video, but this story could have been a 2 hour film on its own, including the issues with Jenson and the team starting to favour him when (according to the media). There were so many elements that led to this decision, and the team he assembled has become very rich because everyone is getting paid a fortune to jump ship to others hoping to steal their success.
I remember I started watching f1 in 2011, so I didn’t know who Ross brawn really was, and certainly didn’t know enough about brawn GP. I remember him going to Mercedes and thinking it was kind of a joke to go there. And was absolutely shocked when I watch Bahrain 2014 and saw him and Nico fighting so far ahead.
Ross brawn, jean todt and Micheal Schumacher made monsters
@@0megalul309 and only Ferrari internal politics could bring them down, and Ferrari have never recovered
11:43 im sorry but idont think his move to Renault was that bad , he had good 2 seasons , his move to McLaren made his downfall
The difference in your comparison with Schumacher is that Michael left Benetton at a high. He went on a hunt for greatness. Hamilton left because he was disappointed with McLaren and their failures in 2012. Had he won that championship I can’t see him leaving that year.
It’s also worth bearing in mind Mercedes had a 40% stake in McLaren when it was McLaren Mercedes. Mercedes making their own team pulled out all that funding
No one, not even Lewis knew the monster the Mercedes’ car would become when he joined back then
Never underestimate Micheal Schumacher as a developmental driver. He left Ferrari and Mercedes both as championship contenders in the following seasons.
Mercedes weren't competing for a title in 2013. So you're just factually wrong. Ross Brawn was far more important. Brawn can actually produce championship winning teams and cars without Schumacher.
michael had impact on the team for mercedes but not on the cars that's bullshit
@@isaacm2374 Barely, Michael played a role in advising Ross to keep Jenson and Barrichello for 09 despite the fact there were GP2 drivers who wanted to sign for the team. On top of that, apart from Brawn GP, Michael led every team they were both part of, and Ross was always much more successful with Michael (excluding merc,) and even then, a large part of why Michael was so successful was by convincing the Mercedes board to put more money into the F1 outfit and build a brand around it. (Ross Brawn said so in the Michael Schumacher documentary on F1TV) Which is exactly what they've done to great effect.
@@isaacm2374 not what the merc engineers say. They directly credit schumacher for the merc success
@@isaacm2374 following seasonS. Plural = seasons. Lewis fans can never seem to read right. There's a reason the Mercedes engineers credit Schumacher and Lewis does so much to sweep his name under a rug, he wants to lie to the world that he developed a championship winning team when all those with a brain know that he's piggybacking of Schumacher's efforts for 6 of his titles.
I hope Alonso will have some good luck going to Aston Martin 🙏🏻😭
this is a very Josh Revell'ish channel and good to lurk in and listen to it is VERY NICE, good quallity, thank you for some extra F1 videos to watch to
I find it funny that both times, Lewis to merc and schumi to Ferrari, the man behind the team was Ross brawn
Ross Brawn was also by Schumacher's time by Benneton XD
Yeah, I remember similar articles and narratives being made when Schumacher moved to Ferrari, why would he leave Benetton for Ferrari who weren't even in the conversation for world championships if not just for money, but both drivers proved them wrong. Incidently both times Ross Brawn was involved, he moved with Schumacher to Ferrari and ran Mercedes, and you never doubt Brawn not getting things rights eventually.
Schumacher and Hamilton are the only names in the goat debate for me
This is what a lot of supposed F1 fans forget about Lewis’s move to Mercedes. Mercedes was at the back of the grid and Lewis took a gamble with the new team, that was not winning at the time. Lewis took fantastic council from a legend in F1 Niki Lauda. R.I.P. Niki Lauda fantastic driver and amazing mentor.
Mercedes always finished well clear from the rest of the midfield, they scored wins and poles even before Lewis. They were getting stronger anyway, Hamilton just saw that potential
@@Pippus4 They had just one pole and one win (courtesy of Nico Rosberg) in the three years in the sport before Lewis came. Yes they were (sometimes) the best of the midfield, but they were also outperformed by Lotus-Renault in 2012.
The potential was in the budget and the people (Ross Brawn, Niki Lauda). The management was also less dictatorial than at McLaren which was especially appealing to Hamilton.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933 You get it all wrong. It wasn't ''just one pole and one win.'' It was the start of success and many knew and understood that already. You make it sound like it was considered a lucky one off, which it simply wasn't. Nico Rosberg himself immediately knew there was more to come. In fact he felt betrayed with the joining of Hamilton due to all of this.
It was no secret to many people that Mercedes would definitely be up there. People already knew they had been developing their engine for much longer than others. It's this single fact that most attribute to Mercedes' entire dominance over the years. 10 years more development that any other team on the most crucial part of the car in those years even Renault who knew exactly what to do as well.
Heck, if we would revert back to engine modes for quali and the race right now, Mercedes would probably grab several pole positions already.
If not just dominate the championship outright assuming they fix their aero. They nearly did dominate in 2021 without the modes and just a couple fresh ICE's
(they are actually doing just that, this weekend with the ''silver Red Bull'')
@@SevenTheMisgiven They still have the most powerful engine on the grid. We don't even need to talk about engine modes. But it doesn't matter. Their car is too flawed aerodynamically to be successful. And no, they never dominated in 2021. They did get a new engine for Brazil, but after that Hamilton used that engine to see out the season. He didn't change engines in all of the last four races.
The W03 was a flawed car, so yes, that China win and Monaco pole were track-specific. It wasn't "lucky" (never did I say that), but it was only a top car in specific tracks. What showed to me that Mercedes was moving up was the W04 (the 2013 car). Even though they struggled with race pace, the car was fast in qualifying, and it was a good base to use for their 2014 car.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933 Yeah you are one of those that didn't even watch 2021. You can't count tracks. So we can't take you seriously about where Mercedes was strong and when. ;) People immediately counted the tracks in 2021 and Mercedes was stronger for 80% of the season in case you are genuinely interested. But I doubt it. Anyway take care.
I hate how everyone thinks Lewis joined Merc, Merc sold him on a car that would be dominant because of the new engine regs and Lewis sat back and just won because he had the fastest car. That narrative is so common these days, they act as if Lewis didnt even drive the car. As if he was a passenger in a rocket while others were in family sedans. That Merc wouldnt be as dominant without Lewis driving it and Lewis wouldnt be a 7 time champion if he wasnt driving the Merc. They both needed each other. How many legendary drives has Lewis put together throughout the last 10 years......How many times did he scrape something out of nothing......Time and time again he shows us RACE fans how spectacular he is, but some people just see Lewis and dismiss it. The guy has so many of F1s most legendary drives and people discount him because he wins a lot or his race, his fashion, his off-track personality, his mistakes, his accidents, ect..... Just appreciate the legend while we still have him.
Even Jeremy Clarkson doubted his move during the interview in Top Gear. How the tables have turned so badly.
British Bias! Just kidding, great video man!
😂😂👍
I was about to freak out 🤣
@@Dxniell89722 Ikr😂
Staying at Mclaren would have been a career suicide.
Funny how his move to Mercedes was once considered legacy-tarnishing because he wouldn't achieve anything, and now it's legacy-tarnishing because so many people have minimized his unrivaled success as a byproduct of Mercedes' dominance.
Yes, it's always a hard dissision to move on. Not always good look at Alonso. They told Max to leave RB in 2017/18 because he would never become a world champion there.bad engines so it can go both ways
Even tho im not teamlh ,i never been a lewis fan anyway, im kinna glad he done this crazy move, it's shows how you should take crazy risk in life
It was time. As a fan of Lewis it felt like his time at Maclaren was growing stale. I liked that 1) he was getting a new start, and 2) it was with Brawn/Merdeces where there was obvious potential.
Love this longer format
Imagine Leclerc makes a ballsy move to the new Audi or even potential Porsche team, if Ferrari keep being Ferrari i wouldn't be surprised if Leclerc is forced into a very tough decision, especially considering his personal connection with Ferrari
Niki Lauda , commented on Ronnie
Peterson's career in a bio pic movie
He said that when Ronnie joined Lotus in 1973 " joined the team when they were at their best - so they were going to fall " , I find it interesting because that's what happend with Lewis , mclaren were at the top then they fell... but the only thing they both gambled Lewis won with Mercedes, Ronnie couldn't find the pace in the March or the Tyrrell...
The narrative I see a lot is that Schumacher joined Mercedes, built them up, then left the great team for lewis on a silver plate. I call bullshit. This is simply not the case. Michael helped with car development of course, but the leadership role that Lewis played cannot be underestimated or downplayed. Look at the team Lewis had just left. McLaren. They had a great car and they didn't win. Why? The leadership within the team wss severely lacking. Michael Schumacher, Toto Wolff, and Lewis Hamilton should all hold equal credit for the giant that Mercedes is today. However I see people crediting Toto and Michael a lot more than Lewis and it gets infuriating. Right here I will say this, Lewis Hamilton is the most underrated F1 driver in the history of the sport. He has 7 titles and 90% of F1 fans shit on him for it.
Ross brawn too
Rosberg deserves far, far more credit for the development of the team and car than Hamilton and Schumacher combined. If Lewis is underrated or unappreciated, what does that make Rosberg?
Welcome to the black experience, where success is always due to "luck" or "corruption" and the "gratitude" to accept a job offer.
I love how Aldas always refers him as "Sir Lewis"
I mean how often can you call anyone a 'Sir' so if the opportunity is there I've got to go for it lol
Great video mate 👍 loved the comparison of him and Schumacher.
They both took the teams to Great success.
Never really thought about it before.
Project drivers!!!
I am not a Lewis fan but I need to say he is bloody impressive. 👏
Lewis is the benchmark of what everyone who’s currently in F1 or looking to join F1 should be like. He’s an international superstar, the most successful and possibly the best F1 driver of all time, and proudly makes it known of the struggles people of color and supports the LGBTQ community proudly. Looking at it from a legacy standpoint, the things he’s done off track and on track have cemented him as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time
2012 was a critical year, Lewis rebounded from a patchy 2011 with a phenomenal season of driving, he lost a ridiculous amount of points through no fault of his own. Nobody can claim that McLaren was better than the Red Bull either. But Mercedes noticed what LH was doing and wanted it in their car. Done alright out of it, I reckon.
This is why some great drivers succeed more than other great drivers. Lewis had to make a decision for his career and he couldn't have made a better one. Then you have drivers like Alonso that unless the Aston Martin move works, can't make a good move to save their lives
Great vid @Aldas. As a Lewis fan, I was somewhat ambivalent towards it. But with the way things were shaping up on the team, where Jenson was "more preferred," I accepted the move. Look at him now!!!!>
People massively underestimated Mercedes
Mercedes was in 2012 far away in terms of developing the 2014 engine comperison to the competition. Of course is always a bit of a gamble. But the future looked very promissing for Hamilton. I still think the Schumacher move to Ferrari was more impressive.
one could argue that lewis' bigger brand is at least in part due to the fact that he went from a 1 time champ to a record tying 7 time champ.
I see it a foundations lewis and nico built the team up from 2013 to 2016, he did it with bottas from 2017-2021 and now him and Russel will build the team up again then he'll pass the baton to russel and the other driver in the future
People knew since 2007 and 2008 Mercedes was making a massive engine proyect in order to be competitive in the new rules change regulations in 2014. Merc only needed a good chasis and a good team, and they got it.
I'm a HUGE Lewis fan and even I thought it was over when he announced his move to Merc
I hope he's laughing at me, now!
doubters will doubt. goat will just keep on goating
9:21 well, there you have it. 👍🏾
Maybe would be worth to mention that another common factor between Michael going to Ferrari and Lewis to Mercedes was Ross Brawn.
People forget Michael brought Ferrari back to championship powerhouse from bringing them back from almost being literal backmarkers
Omg i can’t believe it. An f1 comment section that isn’t filled with hate and toxicity???? Aldas is probably the only F1 youtuber that has that lol
To be fair to Mercedes, they were a solid group when he joined. They were just lacking funds and development for that period, after fallen behind, having lost Honda. They were approaching the top, having finish 2nd in 2013. Then, they were blessed with Lewis and Nico, two extremely talented and competitive drivers who pushed themselves and the team together. That created the environment that allowed the team to succeed immediately the next year. Lewis no doubt played a huge part in car development for the team. It took 2 hands to clap, and both were just happened to be spectacular, being at the right place at the right time.
I doubt they both could have gotten as much as glory individually, but together they were and are a powerhouse. Mercedes were on the back foot in 2017 and 2018, so those years were won thanks to Lewis amazing ability and consistency. On the other hand, the first 3 and the last 2 were no doubt due to the team's incredible development. Even last year, they had a great car and Lewis was still incredible.
I remember in my family everone said the same about the move to Mercedes but i was all for it even more when i knew Niki Toto and Lewis are at the same team.
Vettel would have been Mercedes' first choice (German car, German driver) but Lewis Hamilton was always the man to beat even when he wasn't winning, McLaren let Hamilton down. Michael Schumacher would have probably won 2-3 more titles had he stayed on at Mercedes.
Some forget, Mercedes received Hamilton when the new powertrain and regulations: Mercedes just got it right until this season.
Niki and Michael really contribute to Mercedes, plus Mercedes is rich. To be honest, it's not a gamble game, it's a patience game before huge wins and celebrations.
when msc retired in 2006 kimi went to ferrari, left a seat at mclaren, lewis got in mclaren and then again in 2012 msc retired and lewis took his spot
Yes Lewis has done well at Mercedes but let's not forget that he lost the 2016 title to Nico Rosberg in the same car with equal machinery
Look at the results of Mercedes in 2013 compared to McLaren. Or Lewis that year compared to Jenson. Says it all in that year alone.