Lewis Hamilton leaves the Mercedes F1 team. To join Ferrari in 2025. All parties confirm this.
– The time is right for me to take this step and I look forward to the next chapter, he says.
Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes to race for Ferrari in F1 from 2025 (AP-TT)
On Thursday, Autosport wrote that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari agreed on a new contract starting in 2025. Ferraris share price rose as the speculation spread around the world.
Now Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton that Hamilton has chosen to use an option in his contract and he is leaving the team he won six of his seven World Cup titles with.
Hamilton will race for Mercedes in 2024, but from 2025 he will drive Formula 1 for Scuderia Ferrari.
– I have had eleven fantastic years at Mercedes and I am so proud of what we have achieved together, he says.
– Mercedes has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s where I grew up and so the decision to leave is the toughest decision I’ve ever made.
Lewis Hamilton leaves Mercedes for Ferrari F1
He goes on to say that the decision he has now made is the right one for him. Ferrari confirms that it is a contract over several years and Hamilton, who turns 40 in January 2025, will become a colleague of Charles Lelcerc.
– I am fully focused on delivering the best performance I can this year and making sure my last season with the Silver Arrow is a year to remember.
Ferrari has chosen to announce only that Hamilton has signed a contract over several years, starting in 2025, while Toto Wolff, who is team manager at Mercedes, is more vocal:
– Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. We knew our partnership would end one day and now that day is here, he says.
– We accept Lewis’ decision to take on a new challenge. It is exciting to think about what possibilities we have in the future.
What Carlos Sainz will do in the future is not clear. His contract with Ferrari expires after 2024. It is also not clear which driver will replace Hamilton at Mercedes next year.
