Hamilton nearly raced for Sauber, according to its founder.

      "They intended to send him to Hinwil."

      Peter Sauber and his wife Christiane - the 'C' behind every Sauber chassis name for thirty years - have made their way to Abu Dhabi for a final farewell to the team that will fade away after Sunday’s race. Starting in 2026, Sauber will transition to Audi. According to Blick, the 82-year-old founder wished to witness the last laps of a Sauber-branded car - the C45 - in person, alongside the woman whose initial has been associated with every vehicle since 1993.

      However, the true revelation emerged over apple pie. Sauber disclosed to Blick that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton nearly began his F1 career not with McLaren, but with Sauber. "Few people are aware that about 20 years ago, Lewis Hamilton was close to driving for us," the Swiss mentioned. "He was part of McLaren, and they aimed to send him to Hinwil for his Formula 1 training."

      A meeting was set at Zurich’s Kloten Airport, which included Hamilton, his father, and then-manager Anthony, Peter Sauber, and Sauber lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn. "The agreement fell apart because McLaren was only interested in loaning him for one year - while we wanted him for two," Sauber explained.

      As a result, Hamilton made his debut directly with McLaren in 2007, finishing on the podium nine times in his first nine races, winning three grands prix, and nearly securing the championship.