What started as one of Formula 1’s biggest rumours became real on February 1, 2024, when Ferrari announced that Lewis Hamilton would join the team on a multi-year contract starting in 2025. Hamilton, who was 39 at the time, had recently renewed his Mercedes contract, but a clause allowed him to leave at the end of 2024, making this historic move possible. His leaving ended an amazing 12-year partnership with Mercedes that brought six Drivers’ Championships, eight Constructors’ titles, and many memorable wins. At Ferrari, Hamilton will race alongside Charles Leclerc, taking the place of Carlos Sainz.
For fans, it brought together the sport’s most successful race winner with its most famous and passionate team, giving Hamilton a new chance to win an eighth world championship. Many thought they would never see Hamilton, after so many years with Mercedes, racing for Ferrari. Since Ferrari has not won a Drivers’ Championship since 2007, this move comes with big expectations and is already seen as one of the most important and exciting moments in recent Formula 1 history.
Talking about his departure, Hamilton showed deep thanks for everything he had achieved with Mercedes while saying it was time to take on a new challenge. “I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together,” Hamilton said. “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. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was equally reflective, describing Hamilton as “an important part of Mercedes motorsport history” and recognizing the extraordinary success they shared. “In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride,” Wolff said. “We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”
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Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s respect for Hamilton was well known before the deal, and the two had reportedly built a friendship over several meetings. Ferrari had reached out to Hamilton more than once, but talks only became serious in the winter before the announcement. The financial details were not officially shared, but early reports suggested Hamilton’s annual salary was at least £40 million, with some estimates putting the total package even higher. Hamilton joins Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc, taking the seat that Carlos Sainz previously held.
Since joining Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has helped make the team one of Formula 1’s strongest. He won six of his seven Drivers’ Championships with Mercedes, and the team won eight straight Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021. Their record-breaking partnership marked an era, so Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is a big moment for the team, the driver, and fans everywhere.
Hamilton’s departure left Mercedes with one of its biggest driver choices in over ten years. George Russell, who had already proven himself by winning a Grand Prix after joining the main team in 2022, was ready to take on a bigger role, while reserve driver Mick Schumacher was one of the young talents available in the wider Mercedes group. Finding someone able to replace Hamilton was never going to be easy because the team was losing more than just a successful driver—it was losing the key person behind its most successful period.
Mercedes eventually focused on the next generation by promoting highly rated junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who moved up from Formula 2 to join Russell in 2025 at just 18 years old. This bold choice let the Silver Arrows start creating a new identity around two drivers who came through its junior program, with Russell and Antonelli kept for the 2026 season. Hamilton’s move created important new chapters for both teams: Ferrari gained one of Formula 1’s best drivers, while Mercedes put its future in the hands of a promising new generation.
