Peter Sauber Reveals Lewis Hamilton Nearly Joined His Team in 2007
Peter Sauber reveals he nearly signed Lewis Hamilton for 2007 on a two-year loan from McLaren. The deal collapsed because McLaren only wanted a one-season arrangement for the then-GP2 champion, altering the course of F1 history.
Lewis Hamilton’s legendary F1 career almost began not with McLaren, but with Sauber. Former team principal Peter Sauber has revealed that a deal was in place to sign the young Briton on loan for the 2007 season. The agreement ultimately collapsed over a simple but crucial disagreement: the length of the loan.
Why it matters:
This revelation highlights the razor-thin margins and pivotal decisions that shape F1 history. Hamilton's debut season with McLaren was one of the most dramatic on record, culminating in a title loss by a single point. His journey at a customer team like Sauber-BMW would have drastically altered his career trajectory and the competitive landscape of the late 2000s.
The details:
According to Peter Sauber, the negotiations were surprisingly advanced before falling apart:
- The Meeting: A meeting took place at Kloten Airport involving Sauber, then-in-house lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn, Hamilton, his father Anthony, and a McLaren delegation.
- The Sticking Point: Sauber insisted on a two-year loan deal to provide stability and properly develop the young driver. McLaren, holding all the cards, was only willing to loan him for a single year as a "training" exercise before potentially promoting him.
- The Context: Hamilton was the reigning GP2 champion and part of McLaren's highly regarded junior program. With Fernando Alonso already signed for 2007, McLaren was looking for a place for its rising star to gain F1 experience.
- The Outcome: The deal fell through, the seat at Sauber went to Nick Heidfeld, and Hamilton was promoted to the McLaren seat alongside Alonso, where he famously tied on points in his debut season.
Between the lines:
While we can only speculate, Hamilton at Sauber-BMW in 2007 would have been a fascinating alternate reality. Robert Kubica famously scored the team's only win in 2008, and it's intriguing to consider how a rookie Hamilton might have fared against the Polish driver. This anecdote serves as a powerful reminder that behind every great F1 career are a series of critical, and often fragile, decisions.