Lewis Hamilton almost made his F1 debut with Sauber

Lewis Hamilton would have narrowly avoided a very different fate in Formula 1Recently, Peter Sauber, head of the eponymous team, revealed that the British seven-time world champion almost made his Formula 1 debut with the Swiss team in 2005. At least, that was before negotiations with McLaren They don't change anything.

Indeed, speaking in an interview with the Swiss media, Blick, Peter Sauber confides: "Few people know that about 20 years ago, Lewis Hamilton almost drove for us." The reason? McLaren wanted to loan their protégé to Hinwil to perfect his F1 training, before promoting him to his team.

The McLaren delegation had traveled to Kloten Airport (Switzerland), as detailed by Sauber. Hamilton and his father reportedly met with them there as well. However, the agreement fell through over the contract's duration. "McLaren only wanted to loan him for one year, but we insisted on two." End of the story.

Subsequently, Lewis Hamilton exploded onto the scene. Formula 3 Euroseries, where he won the title in 2005, then GP2, also securing the crown in the feeder series to Formula 1. During those Formula 1 years, Sauber fielded Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve, then Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld for the end of the following year. The team was then competing under the BMW banner.

It was finally in 2007 that Lewis Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut with the McLaren team. As a rookie, he had a phenomenal season: with four victories, he finished tied for first place with his teammate Fernandes. Alonso – two-time reigning world champion – in the championship. That year, he lost the title by one point to Kimi Räikkönen. The Finn then secured what remains to this day the last Drivers' title won by Classic Ferrari for sale in Formula 1.

Twenty years later, Lewis Hamilton boasts seven Formula 1 world titles, while Sauber will become Audi in 2026. The Swiss team was never able to secure Hamilton's services and has now placed its bets on Gabriel Bortoleto to cement its legendary status. Meanwhile, McLaren has returned to the top after a long drought and will defend its Drivers' and Constructors' titles in 2026.

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