Ferrari confirm Lewis Hamilton as driver for 2025 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton will make a sensational move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season in a multi-year deal, the Italian team confirmed on Thursday.

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and winner of a record 103 races, will drive for Mercedes in the coming season before replacing Carlos Sainz the following year.

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Hamilton, 39, signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes last year but exercised a release option to allow him to leave the team after just one season.

Hamilton said leaving Mercedes “was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make”.

He added: “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, Mercedes team principal] for his friendship and his leadership and I want to finish on a high note together.

“I am 100% committed to delivering the best possible performance this season and making my final year with the Silver Arrows an unforgettable year.”

Ferrari, F1's most successful team and the only one to have competed in every world championship season, has not won a drivers' title since Kimi Raikkonen's in 2007.

Hamilton, tied with Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher with seven titles, now has a chance to end the Italian team's drought and become F1's most decorated champion.

If he did so, he would become the first driver to win championships with three different teams since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957.

Rumors of Hamilton joining Ferrari have been common throughout his career, but Thursday's news still seems to come out of nowhere: ESPN has learned that even Mercedes was caught off guard, which is reflected in the fact that they haven't confirmed a driver yet. replace it.

ESPN sources confirmed the news of Hamilton's move Thursday morning. Ferrari chairman John Elkann, known to be a long-time admirer of Hamilton's abilities, wanted Ferrari to add a big-name driver to partner Charles Leclerc in the future.

Leclerc recently signed a contract extension until at least 2026 – Elkann's ambitions now explain why Ferrari were slow to do the same with Sainz.

Leclerc was at Ferrari long before joining F1 but, although he has built a reputation as the sport's fastest qualifier, questions remain over his ability to win a championship, after making a series of very serious mistakes. publicized under pressure.

Ahead of last year's Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur laughed off reports the British driver was close to signing with the team, but sources say 'Elkann continued to pursue Hamilton's signature even after he agreed an extension with Mercedes and negotiations intensified. towards the end of the year and in January.

Vasseur worked with Hamilton when he won the GP2 (now Formula 2) title in 2006 with the ART team and the two have remained on good terms ever since.

Until Thursday's explosive announcement, Hamilton seemed happy to see out his career at Mercedes, the team he joined in 2013 in what is considered one of the best driver moves of recent times.

Hamilton won six of his seven world titles with the team during the most dominant period in F1 history, which saw Mercedes win the constructors' championship eight times in a row between 2014 and 2021.

After being controversially denied an eighth drivers' title on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton has failed to secure a single race victory in 2022 or 2023.

Last year he said Mercedes needed the best six months of development in F1 history just to catch up with dominant team Red Bull.

Mercedes looked set to move into the future with the core of its team together: team boss Toto Wolff recently signed a three-year extension, while Hamilton's teammate George Russell is under contract until 'at the end of 2025.

The identity of Hamilton's replacement will now be a major talking point for the upcoming season.

“We knew our partnership would end naturally at some point, and that day has now arrived,” Wolff said. “We embrace Lewis’ decision to take on a new challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to consider.”

Williams driver Alex Albon, who had a stellar 2023 and is a good friend of Russell, appears to be a strong contender.

Sainz is seen as more likely to sign with Audi's new F1 project in 2026, although he could now be a left-wing option for Mercedes as they look to fill the void.

“Following today's news, Scuderia Ferrari and I will separate at the end of 2024,” Sainz said in a statement published on X.

“We still have a long season ahead of us and, as always, I will do my best for the team and for Tifosi everywhere.

“News regarding my future will be announced in due course.”

Daniel Ricciardo, who will race for new Red Bull Visa Cash App RB junior team this year, is also likely to be linked to the seat, although he has made it clear he wants to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025.

Particular attention will now be paid to the progress of Mercedes junior prodigy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will race in Formula 2 this season. The Italian teenager, who signed a development deal with Mercedes rather than Ferrari, has been tipped as a future star of the sport, but a move up to 2025 could be considered too soon.