Lewis Hamilton could have kicked off his Formula 1 career in 2007 sporting the colors of BMW-Sauber! Peter Sauber revealed that the British star almost raced for his team in Hinwil, but a proposed loan agreement with McLaren fell apart over contract duration. Hamilton ultimately stayed loyal to the Brits, and the rest is history. Yet, Sauber’s anecdote raises an intriguing ‘what if.’
In a chat with the Swiss newspaper Blick, Peter Sauber disclosed that Lewis Hamilton was initially set to make his debut with Sauber. McLaren wanted to place their protégé with the Hinwil team for one season in 2007. However, Switzerland pushed for a two-year period, causing the collaboration to collapse. The Sauber founder recalled how the deal was scrapped at Zurich Airport, leading Hamilton to miss out on debuting in the white and blue colors of BMW-Sauber.
‘What If’
“Few people know that Lewis Hamilton almost drove for us about twenty years ago,” Sauber stated. “The Brit was owned by McLaren, which wanted to send him to Hinwil for a Formula 1 season. The McLaren delegation met with Lewis and his father, along with our corporate lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn and myself, at Zurich Airport. The deal fell apart because McLaren only wanted to loan him for one year, while we were asking for two.”
Hamilton’s Meteoric Rise in Formula 1
Back in the day, Fernando Alonso had just clinched the GP2 championship and was hailed as one of the brightest talents of his generation. McLaren had already secured Fernando Alonso after his departure from Renault, while Kimi Räikkönen was on his way to Ferrari. This left a coveted seat open for 2007 alongside Alonso, and it was Hamilton who seized the opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history.
The celebrated Brit needed just six races to snag his first victory, consistently finishing on the podium in his first nine Grands Prix. Although he narrowly missed out on the world championship that year, he bounced back to secure his first title in 2008.
