Formula One: Lewis Hamilton set for shock switch to Ferrari in 2025, to replace Carlos Sainz
- The seven-time F1 champion called the move ‘one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make’
- Hamilton was on two-year contract with Mercedes, but exercised a release option included in the deal that allows him to leave after one season
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is set for a shock switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025.
“Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last August and this season will therefore be his last driving for the Silver Arrows,” Mercedes said in a statement on Thursday.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make,” Hamilton said.
“But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”
Ferrari subsequently confirmed the arrival of the 39-year-old Briton, who is due to partner their current driver Charles Leclerc, according to a number of reports in Britain and Italy.
“Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” the Italian team said in a statement.
Several reports say the agreement with Ferrari was put together hastily as the team was in talks with Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, whose deal runs out at the end of this season, about a contract extension.
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff briefed the team on Hamilton’s departure at their UK headquarters on Thursday, the BBC reported.
‘We won’t be winning’ – Lewis Hamilton can’t wait to be rid of his Mercedes
Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013 and won his first title with McLaren in 2008.
He is the most successful driver in F1 history with 103 wins and 104 pole positions.
He was linked to Ferrari for this year but signed a new two-year contract last summer, along with Mercedes teammate George Russell, to stay until the end of 2025. That deal, however, contained a clause allowing him to leave after one season.
The new 2024 F1 season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
