It has been two decades since Lewis Hamilton first learned he would be promoted to Formula 1. That moment came on the grid at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, when McLaren boss Ron Dennis directly told Hamilton he would partner Fernando Alonso for the 2007 season.
The news arrived shortly after Hamilton secured the GP2 (now Formula 2) title on his first attempt. However, the road to that F1 seat nearly ended before it began. In 2005, Hamilton's junior deal with McLaren was torn up following a major dispute between his father, Anthony Hamilton, and Martin Whitmarsh, then McLaren's chief operating officer.
Whitmarsh, in a 2020 interview with the BBC, revealed he had a "huge row" with Hamilton's father, with the team believing another year in Formula 3 would benefit Hamilton's development. "Lewis was getting a bit of traction and his father felt there were other options," Whitmarsh said. "In the end, I took the contract out and tore it up. It was about six weeks before Lewis rang me and we re-signed."
Hamilton continued in Formula 3 with ASM, the team founded by current Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur. When he stepped up to GP2 in 2006, he raced for ASM's sister team, ART Grand Prix. At the Dutch Grand Prix last week, Hamilton recalled that difficult period and his longstanding relationship with Vasseur.
"I worked with Fred obviously in Formula 3, 2005, I think it was," Hamilton told media, including Motorsport Week. "It was an interesting period of time for me and my life. I was obviously, as every young kid [was], in a rush to get to Formula 1, hoping that I could potentially get there, and never knowing when that chance would come and I would call Martin Whitmarsh every week, asking him when I can get in the car."
"So, in 2005, when GP2 came out, I was pushing to go to [the series] because I thought there's an opportunity to win it in the first season, being that it was a new class, and we actually came out of contract, which was kind of crazy. I lost my deal with McLaren at that time, which was one of the most challenging periods of my life, and managed to get to the next races in Formula 3 and won them, and got the contract back."
Hamilton's 2006 GP2 title at Monza secured his F1 future with McLaren. This weekend marks 20 years since he was told he would be a Formula 1 driver. Reflecting on that moment, he said: "I remember the first test with Fred in Jerez, and coming back in and seeing his reaction was obviously really positive, and I knew that everything he saw would go back to Ron."
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