Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari. © ANSA / ANDRE PICHETTE

Sensational change perfect: Hamilton goes to Ferrari

The sensational move of Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to Ferrari from the 2025 season has been fixed. The two racing teams announced this on Thursday. Carlos Sainz has to leave the Italians.

01. February 2024

From: dpa/sn

“The time is ripe for me to take this step and I am looking forward to taking on a new challenge,” Hamilton was quoted as saying in a press release. The Brit included an exit clause in his contract. Ferrari announced in a statement that Hamilton has signed a multi-year contract with the legendary racing team from Maranello. The current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz from Spain announced on social media that he would be leaving the Italian racing team after the end of the season.

Hamilton holds the record with Michael Schumacher with seven titles, while Scuderia Ferrari has been waiting to win the next drivers' championship title since 2007. “We accept Lewis’ decision to look for a new challenge,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff about the 39-year-old Brit, who has been driving for the Silver Arrows since 2013. The collaboration with Hamilton was the most successful in the history of Formula 1, added the Viennese. “We can look back on that with pride.” Hamilton spoke of one of the hardest decisions of his life.

Soon teammates: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. © APA/afp / CHANDAN KHANNA

From 2025, Hamilton will drive alongside 26-year-old Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who only signed a long-term contract at the beginning of the year. There will probably be several candidates for the soon-to-be vacant position at Mercedes alongside Russell. One of them could be the 17-year-old Italian Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is making his debut in Formula 2 this year after various successes in junior series. “At the same time, we have exciting opportunities for the future,” said Wolff.

“The time has come for me.” Lewis Hamilton

There have been repeated speculations about Hamilton's possible move to Ferrari in recent years. It still seemed almost unimaginable that he could actually leave Mercedes. Under Wolff, Hamilton, who also liked to talk about ending his career at Mercedes, became a constant triumph for years. He became world champion in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2016 he had to admit defeat to his then teammate Nico Rosberg. Since 2021, the title has gone to Red Bull dominator Max Verstappen.

The Silver Arrows' crisis over the past two years and the grueling wait of someone accustomed to success for the next victory since December 2021 could have influenced Hamilton's decision. However, since Kimi Räikkönen's triumph in 2007 - Hamilton's first year in Formula 1 - Ferrari has been waiting for the next title success among the drivers.