The much-speculated move of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, a topic consistently denied in the past, has now been officially confirmed.
The seven-time Formula One world champion is set to join Ferrari for the upcoming 2025 season, as both the Italian team and his current team, Mercedes, acknowledged on Thursday night, substantiating prior indications from various media outlets.
Mercedes released a statement, stating, “Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last August, and this season will, therefore, be his last driving for the Silver Arrows.”
Reflecting on his 11-year journey with Mercedes, Hamilton expressed his pride in the achievements accomplished together. He admitted, “Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.”
However, the British racing icon also shared his excitement about embarking on a new challenge, signifying that the time is ripe for this significant transition.
Ferrari subsequently verified the arrival of the 39-year-old Briton, slated to team up with their existing driver, Charles Leclerc, according to various reports from Britain and Italy.
“Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” the Italian team declared in a statement.
Reports from the BBC indicated that Mercedes team members were informed by Toto Wolff, their team boss, in a meeting at their UK headquarters on Thursday about Hamilton’s departure at the end of the 2024 season and his move to the iconic Ferrari team.
This transfer to Ferrari has garnered attention due to Hamilton’s existing two-year contract with Mercedes covering the 2024 and 2025 seasons. However, a clause in the agreement permitted him to exit after just one season.
Several sources suggest that Hamilton’s deal with Ferrari materialized swiftly during their negotiations with Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, whose contract concludes at the end of the current season.
While Hamilton secured his last world title in 2020, he faced a controversial loss in the 2021 championship to Max Verstappen. The Dutch Red Bull driver, notably younger than Hamilton, has since dominated the F1 scene.
In 2022, Hamilton finished sixth in the drivers’ standings, improving to third in 2023. Hamilton’s frustration with the Abu Dhabi incident in 2021, where he believes he was unfairly denied an eighth title, coupled with dissatisfaction with his Mercedes car’s performance, might be factors influencing this strategic move to Ferrari.
However, Ferrari, too, has experienced mixed performance in recent seasons, although signs of improvement emerged towards the end of the last season. Despite this, Mercedes outperformed Ferrari, securing second place behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
