7-time world-champion driver Lewis Hamilton will be leaving the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 team at the end of the 2024 season to join Ferrari.
Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, after six years in a Mclaren seat and his first ever Formula 1 World Championship win. In his eleven years at Mercedes, he has won seven world championships, and Mercedes has won eight constructors championships.
Last August, Hamilton signed a two-year extension to his deal at Mercedes, and even shut down rumors that Ferrari had attempted to sign him for the 2024 season back in May. But now, it looks like the rumors are true.
The news was announced on Thursday that Hamilton would be exiting Mercedes after the 2024 season, and would be joining Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari seat in 2025.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team,” said Hamilton. “I’m so proud of what we have achieved together… making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1 Team Principal, had the news broken to him by Hamilton himself on the Wednesday morning before the news broke. Wolff and Hamilton discussed the switch over breakfast at Wolff’s home in Oxfordshire, England.
“He said to me that he has decided to race for Ferrari in 2025…That was basically it. We had a good hour of conversation, and this is where we are.”
Wolff was surprised by the news, since Mercedes has a new car lined up for the upcoming season. Hamilton has not yet driven the car, but Hamilton and the Mercedes team believed that the new design might bring them back to the forefront of the race and give Hamilton another chance to get his 8th World Championship. While Wolff was shocked, he did not try to persuade Hamilton to stay.
“He felt he needed change…I can understand that,” said Wolff.
Mercedes has faced numerous challenges in the past two seasons specifically. The problems have mostly been attributed to the design and style of the cars, which have fallen behind in the new “ground effect era” of Formula 1, in which the aerodynamics of the car have been altered to create more downforce.
Difficulties in the past seasons are speculated to be the reason for Hamilton’s departure, but after 17 years, with the majority driving for Mercedes, it might just be time for a new start.
“…the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge,” explains Hamilton. “I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”
With Sainz out of a 2025 seat on Ferrari, being replaced by Hamilton, and multiple drivers out of contracts in 2025, it’s a race to figure out who will replace Mercedes’ star driver and sit next to Georte Russel in the driver’s seat.
“We knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come,” Says Wolff. “We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate.”
Hamilton will remain at Mercedes for the duration of the 2024 season, which resumes from their annual winter break on February 29th in Bahrain.
