Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton stunned the motorsports world on Thursday by announcing
that he will quit Mercedes at the end of the current season to join Ferrari. Ferrari had made attempts to sign
Hamilton prior to his most recent contract renewal with the Silver Arrows.
It wasn’t until the end of August that Hamilton and Mercedes agreed to a two-year agreement. The 39-year-old
British driver’s new contract features a release provision that allows him to join Ferrari in 2025, according to
Mercedes, which was activated on Thursday.
“I am incredibly pleased of what we have accomplished as a team, and I have had an incredible 11 years with this
group. Since I was thirteen years old, Mercedes has been a part of my life, Hamilton stated in a team statement.
“Leaving was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make because it is a place where I have grown up.”
However, I’m eager to take on a new challenge and I feel that the time is appropriate for me to make this move.
Following his 2013 switch from McLaren to Mercedes, Hamilton won six of his seven championships with the Silver
Arrows. His 103 race wins set a record in Formula One, but his last triumph came in the season’s penultimate race in
2021, as Mercedes has been unable to match rival Red Bull’s new car’s speed.
Hamilton’s move was first reported early on Thursday, but the teams didn’t respond to the rumors until later in the
day. After Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff eventually confirmed Hamilton’s departure, Mercedes released a
statement. Shortly after, Ferrari released a statement announcing that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in
2025 for a number of years.
After that, current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. made a statement. He had been negotiating a contract extension,
but they appeared to be at a standstill at the close of the previous year.
“We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi
all over the world. News about my future will be announced in due course,” wrote Sainz. Hamilton will end his career
at Mercedes with current teammate George Russell. He will be teammates at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, who in
December agreed to a long-term extension.
When Hamilton dons a red and black Ferrari uniform, he will be 40 years old. His last triumph came in 2020, and in
the 2021 season finale, he was on his way to a record-breaking eighth title. However, a contentious finish saw Max
Verstappen win the championship instead, and he has since gone on to win three straight titles as Red Bull has
overtaken Mercedes as the leading team in Formula One.
Ferrari hasn’t taken home a drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
Even after protracted discussions on the contract he signed last year gave rise to rumors he was thinking about
joining a different team, Hamilton’s action is pretty surprising. When Leclerc was questioned about the rumors of a
new teammate at Ferrari during a press conference last season, he turned to Hamilton, chuckled, and replied, “Hello,
Lewis.”
Nevertheless, Hamilton stated he intended to continue his career with his present team due to “unfinished business”
and his desire to assist Mercedes in rebuilding its troubled squad when he signed the Mercedes deal. Wolff asserted
that instead, the couple understood their union “would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now
come.”
Lewis will always hold a special place in Mercedes motorsport history, and Wolff added, “We can look back on our
relationship with Lewis with pride as it has become the most successful team-driver pairing the sport has seen.” “We
respect Lewis’s choice to go for a new challenge, and it’s thrilling to think about the options we have ahead of us. For
the time being, though, we still have one season left, and our goal is to finish strong in 2024 by going racing.
Hamilton complimented Wolff for his leadership as well.
Wolff continued, “We can look back on our relationship with Lewis with pride as it has become the most successful
team-driver pairing the sport has seen.” Lewis will always have a special place in Mercedes motorsport
history.Lewis’s decision to take on a new challenge is respected, and considering our alternatives is exciting. For
now, though, we have one more season, and we intend to race our way to a solid finish in 2024.
Wolff was also commended by Hamilton for his leadership.
With three podium finishes in the final four races of the previous season, Leclerc helped Ferrari start to look
competitive against Red Bull.
Although Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the former president of Ferrari, stated on Thursday that Hamilton’s signing
was “unexpected,” there had been rumors during the majority of the previous season that Hamilton was being
personally courted by Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
The Scuderia needed attention, so I hope it can help the team become more competitive. Montezemolo, who oversaw
Ferrari from 1991 to 2014, when the team won six drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ championships with Michael
Schumacher setting records, expressed this hope.
“Hamilton is a fantastic fighter who wants to take home the world championship before he retires. It will be
enjoyable because Leclerc is vying for his first title,” Montezemolo said. “However, having two No. 1s will make
having a winning car even more crucial; otherwise, this decision could end up being very risky.”
Bahrain will host the first race of the Formula One season on March 2 and the preseason testing starts on February
21.
