Lewis Hamilton’s true reason for leaving Mercedes explained as worrying theory dismissed

Andrew Shovlin has denied claims that the weak performance of the W15 triggered Lewis Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari. Instead, the team’s trackside engineering director believes that the legendary Brit is chasing a ‘new chapter’ in his career.

When Hamilton announced his decision to end an 11-year partnership with the Silver Arrows at the start of February, many speculated that his decision could be linked to his pre-season experience with the team’s 2024 challenger, the W15.

This speculation was fuelled when Mercedes arrived in Bahrain for the season opener with the fourth-fastest car in the field. However, given the hype surrounding Mercedes’ power unit programme ahead of the 2026 engine regulation changes, it is more likely that other factors influenced Hamilton’s decision.

Shovlin confirmed this, although he did admit that performance would have played at least a small role in Hamilton’s decision. “I think if we'd been winning championships, it would have been difficult for Lewis to say no,” he explained.

"However, I think his biggest reasons are not necessarily ones of car performance. He clearly wants to have another chapter in his career beyond his very successful one with Mercedes. He's of an age where if he was going to do that, he would need to do it sooner rather than later.”

Shovlin later added: "As I said, if we were dominating a championship, I suspect it would have been difficult for him to do that. But I think a big part of Lewis is wanting to have another team and another challenge in his career. I think when someone's decided that they want to do that, it can be quite difficult to persuade them otherwise."

While Mercedes' performance at the start of the campaign was concerning, the team have developed well. In the four races prior to the summer shutdown, the Silver Arrows recorded three Grand Prix victories, and two of these went the way of Hamilton.

During this period, Ferrari have gone in the opposite direction. The Italian constructor were the fastest team in Monaco as Charles Leclerc won his home race, but since then they have plummeted to fourth in the pecking order.

Despite his future employers’ struggles, Hamilton is not having second thoughts. He rebuffed any talk of regret after winning at Silverstone, before explaining that his return to race-win contention means that he is “not leaving on a low, but leaving on a high” after 12 years with the team.