LEWIS HAMILTON has signed a mega £100million deal to join Ferrari in a switch that shocked F1.
The seven-time world champion agreed to drive for the most famous F1 team in 2025 and 2026.
3
Lewis Hamilton made a sensational exit from MercedesCredit: Alamy
3
Hamilton, 39, won the last of his seven world titles in 2020. Credit: Getty
3
The Briton joined Toto Wolff’s McLaren team in 2013. Credit: Splash
The Briton, who will spend this season with Mercedes, identified the Italian team as the best option to win a record eighth world title.
It is a major blow to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff ahead of the new F1 season, which starts in Bahrain on March 2.
In a statement released by Mercedes, Hamilton (39) said he was committed to finishing the season with Mercedes before taking on a new challenge.
He said: “I’ve had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together.
“Mercedes has been a part of my life since I was 13. It’s where I grew up, so the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
“But the time is right for me to take this step and I am excited to take on a new challenge. I will forever be 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 per cent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my final year with the Silver Arrows one to remember.”
Wolff added: “We knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come.
CASINO SPECIAL OFFER – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“We welcome Lewis’ decision to seek a new challenge and our options for the future are exciting to think about.
“But for now we have one more season and are focused on racing to deliver a strong 2024.”
Ferrari confirmed the news minutes later, releasing its own statement which simply read: “Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will join the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.”
The bombshell switch will see him partner Charles Leclerc and comes after Red Bull made it clear they don’t see Hamilton in their team.
SunSport understands that Hamilton himself brokered the deal with Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur.
The two are friends and in 2006 Hamilton won the GP2 title driving for Vasseur’s ART teams.
WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?
Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
Here, SunSport’s F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates to replace him and partner George Russell at the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri – McLaren have nailed Lando Norris with a new long-term deal that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes’ reach. However, they are yet to tie down his team-mate Piastri, the 22-year-old Australian has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting a shot at F1 with McLaren. He impressed in his debut season last year and has the potential to become world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo – The experienced driver’s future remains in doubt as he bides his time in Red Bull’s B-Team. Ricciardo would be light and offer some stability, but then he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would go for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could enter the reckoning.
Kimi Antonelli – You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17 years old, he has won every junior category and has been part of Mercedes’ young driver program since 2019. He has been promoted from F4 to F2 this season, where he is predicted to shine. A good debut season in F2 could prompt Mercedes to take a chance on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Mick Schumacher – Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoke highly of him, you’d at least expect him to come into play. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and would like to accelerate accordingly. But speed is also an issue. He was shocking in Haas and if he was really THAT good, he would still be driving in F1.
Alex Albon – A smarter choice would be London-born Albon. Great guy who is also very fast. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be a fast, low-maintenance partner similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas who won back-to-back titles. Albon would need some convincing to join Williams and Mercedes shouldn’t pay him half the £50m they were giving Hamilton.
The negotiations were done quickly as he took advantage of the exit agreement he inserted into his contract with Mercedes, which he only signed last summer.
Hamilton has always pledged his loyalty to Mercedes and Wolff, who along with team designer James Allison, recently agreed contract extensions in what could be the final roll of the dice to convince him to stay.
However, Hamilton appears unconvinced after two difficult years at Mercedes where he has been winless since December 2021 – the same season he lost the title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
His move to Ferrari was approved by the car company’s chairman, John Elkann, who has long been an admirer of Hamilton’s talent.
As rumors of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari leaked out, it caused an incredible spike in Ferrari’s share price, which jumped more than £3 billion to an all-time high.
Hamilton’s move will see Carlos Sainz leave Ferrari next winter and he has been tipped to join the Audi team, which will take over from Sauber.
Sainz said: “Following today’s news Scuderia Ferrari and I will part ways at the end of 2024.
“We still have a long season ahead of us and, as always, I will do my best for the team and for Tifosi around the world.
“We will announce news about my future in due course.”
Mercedes, meanwhile, are expected to turn their attention to William’s London-born racer Alex Albon or their young driver, 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who will make his F2 debut this season.
🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details of every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education