Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton will leave the Mercedes team and join Ferrari next year, the Scuderia confirmed in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“Scuderia Ferrari is proud to announce that Lewis Hamilton will join the team from 2025, having agreed to a multi-season contract,” read a message posted on Ferrari’s official X account, alongside a photo of the Italian car manufacturer’s famous logo.
The 39-year-old veteran signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes last summer that expires in 2025. The German team confirmed Hamilton’s departure on Thursday afternoon and said the star driver had used an escape clause in his contract to make the move to Ferrari.
“I’ve had 11 incredible years with this team (Mercedes), and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved together,” Hamilton said in a statement. “Mercedes has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where 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 that 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, Team Principal) for his friendship and leadership, and I want to end our partnership on a high note. I am 100 per cent committed to delivering the best possible performance this season and making my final year with the Silver Arrows a year to remember,” Hamilton concluded.
For his part, Wolff was keen to salute Hamilton’s work over the years, and he pointed out that he still had one season left on his contract with Mercedes.
“We knew that 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 deliver a strong 2024,” said Wolff.
There’s no smoke without fire. Earlier in the day, Sky Sports News reported that Hamilton would leave the German team after the 2024 season and replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. The channel did not cite any sources. The Daily Mail also reported the same information, while motorsport.com reported that the deal was still not complete, but that talks were well advanced and could conclude by the end of the week.
Hamilton won six world 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 has not won a race since 2021, and remains stuck on 103 career F1 victories.
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 terminate our agreement after 2024. We still have a very long season ahead of us and, as always, I will give everything I have to the team and to fans around the world. News about my future will be communicated at a later date,” the statement read.
Hamilton surprised everyone a bit by joining Mercedes in 2013.
After dominating F1 in 2020, Hamilton and Mercedes have endured two very frustrating seasons. Mercedes won just one race in 2022, while their car suffered from the porpoising phenomenon, and the team admitted to having completely botched its design.
Winter testing will begin on February 21 in Bahrain. Bahrain will also host the first round of the upcoming 24-stop campaign, with Verstappen aiming for a fourth consecutive world championship.
