Lewis Hamilton has revealed he kept his parents in the dark prior to his move to Ferrari being confirmed.
The Stevenage-born racer stunned the Formula One world earlier this month when he announced he'd be leaving Mercedes for the Maranello-based side.
Hamilton has won six of his seven F1 titles with Mercedes, establishing himself as one of the best drivers in the history of the sport in the process.
With the Silver Arrows struggling in recent years, however, the 39-year-old has opted to pursue a new challenge.
Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his bombshell move to Ferrari
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Hamilton has now opened up on his decision while speaking on the BBC's Chequered Flag F1 podcast.
And he said his parents weren't consulted because he wanted to 'find out' what was best for him.
He said: "It [the decision] happened very fast.
“The opportunity just popped up and I was like ‘OK I’ve got to think for a second’ and I didn’t have a lot of time to think, I just had to go with my gut feeling and I decided to take the opportunity.”
He added: “I didn’t speak to anybody, I didn’t tell my parents until the day of it being announced, so no one knew and I really wanted to do it for myself and that’s ultimately...I had to find out what was best for me.”
Hamilton does insist, however, that he'll always be a Mercedes fan.
He's grateful for everything the team have done for him ever since his move from McLaren in 2013.
And Hamilton claims he will always support the Silver Arrows, regardless of what happens in the future.
“It was the hardest decision," he added.
"When I left McLaren it was a very hard decision also because it was like my family, you feel such a part of the family and obviously, I’ve been such a big part of Mercedes, and it’s been such a huge part of my life and we’ve achieved so much together.
“The thing is I will always be a Mercedes fan and we’ll always have this incredible history together, even now.
"After all these years I genuinely always check where McLaren are and I’m always supporting them and that will always be the case for me here also.”
It is currently unclear who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes.
Nico Rosberg isn't interested in a return to F1, having previously quit the sport back in 2016.
There are murmurs, however, that Sebastian Vettel could be tempted back to the sport.
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Lewis Hamilton didn't consult his mother (pictured) or father prior to signing up with Ferrari
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Ralf Schumacher, brother of F1 icon Michael Schumacher, said earlier this week that Vettel was intrigued by a potential return to the sport.
"I heard that Sebastian Vettel wants to drive a car again," Schumacher told Sky Germany.
"Of course, you have to close a gap now. You saw what happened on the stock market after Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, that triggered something."
George Russell is expected to be Mercedes' main driver once Hamilton departs.
And Russell has received plenty of phone calls and texts from F1 drivers interested in replacing the F1 icon.
Lewis Hamilton has insisted he'll always be a fan of Mercedes despite opting to leave the Silver Arrows for Ferrari in 2025
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"We've already had conversations and I've been with Toto a lot this winter, so seeing the drivers' names pop up on the telephone has been quite funny,” he said earlier this week.
"Even on my phone as well, I've had a few phone calls and text messages so it's been quite interesting.
