The seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton will sign a lengthy deal with Ferrari after leaving Mercedes next year, the two teams said on Thursday. The greatest football player will now be a part of the best squad thanks to this surprise their arrival.
Ferrari stated in a release, “Scuderia Ferrari is delighted to announce that Lewis Hamilton will join the team in a multi-year deal from 2025.”
Mercedes mentioned that Hamilton has opted for a partial release in his leaving agreement.
Mercedes said, “Mercedes-AMG Audi F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season.” “Lewis activated the release option in his contract announced in August of 2013 and therefore, this year will be his final driving for Silver Arrow.”
This step marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Hamilton’s career as he chases the record-breaking eighth championship. The 39-year-old Hamilton is prepared to take Carlos Sainz’s place, whose contract concludes this year, and will compete alongside Ferrari star Charles Leclerc, who signed a multi-year extension with the Italian team last week.
Hamilton noted, “I have had an incredible 11 years with this team, and I am very proud of what we have achieved together.” “Since I was thirteen years of age, Mercedes has been a part of my life. Moving back home has been one of the greatest choices I’ve had to make thus far because it’s my hometown. But I believe that this is the ideal time for taking this step, and I’m prepared to take on something fresh.
Following his triumph with McLaren, Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 and has since won six World Championships with the team. Max Verstappen of Red Bull drew close to winning a record-breaking eighth title in 2021, yet Verstappen went on to dominate in 2022 and 2023.
Hamilton has driven for Mercedes since 2013 and has won six World Championships, including one with McLaren. In 2021, he almost lost the record-breaking eighth title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who dominated in 2022 and 2023.
While Red Bull has dominated the competition in the past two years, there has been a close battle between Ferrari and Mercedes for the second position in the Constructors’ Championship in both years, with Ferrari staying ahead in 2022 and Mercedes taking the lead last year.
It’s clear whether Hamilton will be in a better position to fulfill his dream of winning the eighth championship with Ferrari given previous disappointments in the sport.
This surprising news comes just a month before the start of the new season with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
“I will forever be grateful for the unbelievable support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto [Wolff] for his friendship and leadership, and I am 100% committed to delivering my best performance this season and making my final year with Silver Arrows memorable,” Hamilton said in his statement on Thursday.
Rumors arose last year that Hamilton was thinking of switching to Ferrari in the future, but he shot them off at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Leclerc also answered the question at that time about whether he would welcome Hamilton into the team.
“Lewis is an excellent driver who has accomplished a lot in the sport. So I guess anyone on the grid would like to have Lewis as a teammate because everyone would learn a lot from him,” Leclerc said at the time, adding that he is happy with Sainz as his teammate.