Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton will leave the Mercedes team and join Ferrari next year, the “Scuderia” confirmed in a press release on Thursday afternoon.
“Scuderia Ferrari is proud to announce that Lewis Hamilton will join the team in 2025, after accepting a multi-season contract,” read a message posted on Ferrari’s official X account, alongside a photo of the famous logo of the Italian automobile manufacturer.
The 39-year-old veteran signed a new two-season contract with Mercedes last summer which will expire in 2025. The German team confirmed Hamilton’s departure on Thursday afternoon and clarified that the star driver had used a escape clause provided for in his contract to make the jump to Ferrari.
“I have had 11 incredible years with this team [Mercedes], and I am very proud of what we have accomplished together, Hamilton said in a press release. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13. It’s a place I grew up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
“But the time has come for me to take this step and I am excited to take on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto [Wolff, le directeur de l’équipe] for his friendship and leadership, and I want to end our partnership on a high note. I am 100% committed to delivering the best possible performance this season and making my final year with the Silver Arrows one to remember,” concluded Hamilton.
For his part, Wolff wanted to salute Hamilton’s work over the years, and he reminded that he still had one season left on his contract with Mercedes.
“We knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now arrived. We accept Lewis’ decision to seek a new challenge, and we are already looking forward to new challenges. But for now, we still have one season left and we are focused on racing to have a strong 2024,” Wolff said.
There is no smoke without fire. Earlier today, Sky Sports News reported that Hamilton would leave the German team after the 2024 season and replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. The channel, however, did not cite sources. THE Daily Mail also reported such information, while the website motorsport.com mentioned that the agreement would still not be concluded, but that the discussions would be very advanced and could be concluded by the end of the week.
Hamilton won six world championship titles with Mercedes in seven years between 2014 and 2020, before being beaten to the championship on the final lap of the final race of the season by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in 2021. He won hasn’t won a race since 2021, and remains stuck at 103 career F1 victories.
PHOTO ANDREJ ISAKOVIC, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix
The arrival of the Briton will cause the departure of Carlos Sainz Jr., since his teammate, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, recently accepted a contract extension of several seasons. The Spaniard also confirmed the information on his official X account, shortly after Ferrari’s announcement.
“Following today’s announcement, Scuderia Ferrari and I have agreed to end our agreement after 2024. We still have a very long season ahead of us and, as always, I will give my all that I have to the team and fans all over the planet. News about my future will be communicated at a later date,” it read.
Hamilton surprised everyone by joining Mercedes in 2013.
After dominating F1 in 2020, Hamilton and Mercedes have had a very frustrating two seasons. Mercedes won just one race in 2022, when its car suffered from the ‘porpoising’ phenomenon, and the team admitted to completely botching its design.
Winter testing will begin on February 21 in Bahrain. Bahrain will also host the first round of the next campaign which will be made up of 24 stops, and Verstappen will then covet a fourth consecutive world championship.