Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes ahead of the 2013 season and has since carved his name as one of the sport’s greatest-ever drivers.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg shared an intense rivalry during their time as team-mates (Image: Getty)
This January marked the 11th anniversary of Lewis Hamilton signing for Mercedes, and since that initial landmark, the 39-year-old has achieved legendary status, adding six World Championships to his collection, moving clear at the top of the all-time Grand Prix wins list and playing his part in some iconic rivalries.
After finishing fourth or fifth in four consecutive seasons off the back of his maiden World Championship in 2008, Hamilton opted to swap McLaren for Mercedes ahead of the 2013 season in what was deemed by many to be an extremely risky move. He partnered up with childhood friend Nico Rosberg, and the two quickly became fierce rivals.
The rivalry between the pair grew so vicious that chief strategist James Vowles had to draw up a ‘rules of engagement’ document, encouraging the pair to fight fairly ahead of Mercedes’ dominant 2014 campaign. Hamilton won the title that year with a sensational run in the final seven races, but the infighting only worsened.
After an aggressive turn-one move to take the lead from his team-mate at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, Hamilton went on to claim back-to-back titles that day. After throwing Rosberg his cap in the cool-down room, the German threw it straight back and then refused to spray the champagne during the podium celebrations.
2016 produced the infamous opening-lap crash at the Spanish Grand Prix, handing Max Verstappen his first-ever Grand Prix victory, and the pair came together again in Austria on the final lap, costing Rosberg the race win in an incident labelled “brainless” by team principal Toto Wolff.
The German went on to claim the 2016 title and followed it up with a shock retirement announcement. He was replaced by Valtteri Bottas, who played the wingman role for his world champion team-mate as Hamilton extended Mercedes’ dominance through the remainder of the turbo-hybrid era.
It was during this period that Hamilton added win after win to his tally, but he also formed his rivalry with Verstappen during this time. When Mercedes’ advantage diminished in 2021, the pair played their part in a World Championship fight for the ages.
Extreme clashes between the pair at Silverstone and Monza set the tone for an intense title run-in as tempers flared and the stakes heightened. Hamilton was on course for a commanding victory to take the title in the season finale in Abu Dhabi before a controversial safety car protocol handed Verstappen a shot at the win on the final lap.
