Alonso Reveals Near Hamilton-Ferrari Driver Swap for 2015
Fernando Alonso says Ferrari and Mercedes explored a direct driver swap in 2014, which would have seen Lewis Hamilton join Ferrari as Alonso moved to Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso has confirmed that Ferrari and Mercedes discussed a direct driver swap for the 2015 Formula One season, which would have seen Lewis Hamilton move to Ferrari and Alonso take Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes. The negotiations took place during 2014, a year marked by growing tension between Alonso and Ferrari’s management.
Alonso told Spanish radio that the idea of a swap was actively considered, but Ferrari chose not to proceed. At the time, the Maranello team was in negotiations to extend Alonso's contract through to 2019, despite the lack of a championship challenge. The Spaniard said that, in the end, Ferrari could not convince him to stay, and he opted for a move to McLaren-Honda instead.
Why the swap failed to materialise
The discussions came as Ferrari faced a period of transition and underperformance. Alonso said he did not want to spend more years at Ferrari fighting for third place, as the team was not in a position to challenge Mercedes’ dominance at the time. He indicated that Ferrari’s internal changes and the lack of progress prompted him to seek new opportunities.
Alonso also noted that he was unsure whether Hamilton was aware of the potential swap at the time. Hamilton remained at Mercedes, where he went on to win multiple world titles, while Sebastian Vettel replaced Alonso at Ferrari for 2015.
The revelation adds further detail to the turbulent end of Alonso’s Ferrari tenure and the high-level discussions that shaped the 2015 Formula One grid. For more on Ferrari’s 2015 driver and technical changes, see Adrian Newey Nearly Joined Ferrari for 2015 F1 Season.
