Lewis Hamilton went from Mercedes to Ferrari colors during the Abu Dhabi race weekend, drawing criticism from Nico Rosberg.
Lewis Hamilton has raised a few eyebrows with his choice of outfit in Abu Dhabi, on his very last race weekend as a Mercedes driver and alongside his long-time teammate Nico Rosberg. The fact that he arrived at the track on Sunday in the red colors of his future employer was something Rosberg found “inappropriate”.
Hamilton showed up at the Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday in a white outfit with a slight gray tinge, so it felt like he was wearing the colors of Mercedes. On Saturday, he then wore a white shirt with red trousers and a red coat. And on Thursday, he appeared in the paddock completely in a shade of red.
Whether or not the symbolism was a pure coincidence could not be clarified during the race weekend because Hamilton was not approached on the subject at the venue. However, many fans interpreted the fashion-conscious superstar’s choice of outfit as a way of symbolizing his move from Mercedes to Ferrari.
A symbolism that Rosberg finds “bad”, because on his last official day as a Mercedes driver, in his opinion, “silver would have been appropriate,” says the Sky expert, adding: “I find this decision very strange and inappropriate. It’s a shame. It’s his day, so it’s okay. They celebrate him and appreciate him, and they still have a good relationship. But it’s a small point that I think is a shame.”
But at Mercedes, Hamilton’s choice of clothing in Abu Dhabi is not held against him. Team boss Toto Wolff does not even get involved in what he sees as a rather idle discussion about Hamilton’s colors, and when Sky asks him a question on exactly that topic, he answers with a wink that Hamilton ”looks kind of like this Lord Palpatine from Star Wars.”
He probably doesn’t actually mean Lord Palpatine himself, the power-hungry Sith Lord who wants to gain control of the galaxy through cunning and manipulation. But rather his red-clad companions, the Imperial Royal Guards, who stand out in the Star Wars films because of their magnificent red robes and are loyal bodyguards to Lord Palpatine.
In any case, Hamilton’s red outfit leaves no bad taste in the mouth: “Red is great,” Wolff smiles, dismissing the discussion. “Ferrari is a great team and a good brand. When he comes out of the pits for Ferrari for the first time, it will certainly be strange for us. But we said to Lewis, ‘If we can’t win ourselves, we’ll support you.’”
Hamilton joined Mercedes at the end of 2012 from McLaren-Mercedes and went on to win the world championships for the German carmaker in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 019 and 2020. This makes Hamilton-Mercedes the most successful combination in the history of Formula 1. Even Michael Schumacher and Ferrari “only” won five drivers’ world championships together.