Image shows Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

Sophia Crothall

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The driver will join Italian rivals Ferrari on a multi-year deal in 2025. 

The 39-year-old only signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes last summer. It is now understood that his contract contained a break clause after one year, which Hamilton has taken.

Hamilton’s move to the Italian team means that current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will lose his seat at the end of 2024. A vacant seat will then become available at Mercedes. 

The seven-time World Champion is set to partner with Charles Leclerc in 2025. The Monégasque driver, Leclerc, recently signed a multi-year contract extension with Ferrari, which is rumoured to last until 2029. 

A Shock Announcement

Upon the announcement, Hamilton shared that he was “so proud” of the success he has achieved in his 11 years spent at Mercedes.

“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,” he said. “But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”

During his time with Mercedes, Hamilton has won 82 of his record 103 races with the team. This includes six World Drivers’ Championships. 

“Hamilton broke the news to Wolff at his home”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said that the pairing of Mercedes and Hamilton “has become the most successful the sport has seen.”

It is understood that Hamilton broke the news to Wolff at his home on the 31st January 2024. Wolff subsequently informed the team that the driver would be leaving them at the end of the season. 

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Wolff said that the move did not come as a surprise. The principal also insisted that he holds no grudge against Hamilton for leaving. “When we signed the contract with Lewis, we opted for short term. So the events are not a surprise, maybe the timing,” he said.

A Lasting Legacy

Hamilton’s success with Mercedes has arguably become stagnant since Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship in 2021. Since then, the team has been unable to provide a challenger for Hamilton and his racing partner George Russell. 

Hamilton last won a race at Saudi Arabia in 2021 and finished sixth in the Championship a year later. In 2023, he finished third — 341 points behind first-placed Verstappen, who won his third consecutive drivers’ title. 

This season, Hamilton has shared that he is “100% committed” to delivering the best performance he can and making his last year with the team “a special one.” 

Whilst Hamilton has yet to make a comment on social media, his current teammate Russell paid tribute to the driver on Instagram. “It’s been special racing alongside you @lewishamilton. Let’s make this season one to remember,” he wrote. 

With Hamilton’s arrival in 2025 being announced, Sainz shared on X: “Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of the 2024 season.”

He added: “We will have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the Team and for the Tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course.” 

The Future

With Hamilton’s departure confirmed, speculation has begun to grow over who will take his seat in 2025. 

“There’s an exciting situation at the end of 2024 with some drivers becoming available. Others just signed a few weeks ago — so these ones would have been opportunities,” said Wolff. “So that timing, if it would have been six weeks earlier, there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is.”

“Hamilton’s move is certainly one of … the biggest driver transfers Formula 1 has ever seen”

The likes of Carlos Sainz, William’s Alex Albon, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon have all been sighted as potential candidates for the Mercedes seat.

Hamilton’s move is certainly one of, if not the biggest driver transfers Formula 1 has ever seen. 

Speaking to BBC Sport, former driver Nigel Mansell said: “I think it is fantastic for the fans and it’s incredibly dynamic.”

He added: “I think we’ve got a great Formula 1 season coming up and it certainly looks like we’re going to have an exciting one in 2025.” 

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Featured image courtesy of Jen Ross via Flickr. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

Sophia is a MA Cultural and Creative Industries graduate from Cardiff University, and a BSc Criminology graduate from the University of Bristol. She has experience writing for publications such as GPBlog and Metro. Sophia runs her own F1 Tik Tok account: @sophiacrothallf1

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