Motorsport star Lewis Hamilton (39) will compete for Ferrari in Formula 1 from 2025 after more than a decade in Mercedes. The racing team announced this this Thursday. The specialist magazine “Autosport” and the BBC had previously reported on it, among others. Hamilton's last season in a Silver Arrow will begin in around a month. In 2025, the seven-time world champion will wear red – like the seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and the four-time title holder Sebastian Vettel.
Mercedes only extended the contracts with Hamilton and his compatriot George Russell until the end of 2025 in August last year. However, there was always speculation about a change. Hamilton moderated these events quite gallantly, but also reported on his good relationship with Ferrari boss John Elkann and also with team boss Frédéric Vasseur.
It still seemed almost unimaginable that he could actually leave Mercedes. Under team boss Wolff, Hamilton became a consistent triumph for years. Coming to the 2013 season as the successor to Michael Schumacher after his final retirement, Hamilton became world champion in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2016 he had to admit defeat to his then teammate Nico Rosberg. Since 2021 the title has gone to Max Verstappen.
Mercedes in Formula 1 recently in crisis
The Silver Arrows' crisis in the past two years and the grueling wait of someone who is used to success for the next (it would be the 104th) victory since December 2021 could have influenced Hamilton's decision. However, since Kimi Räikkönen's triumph in 2007 – Hamilton's first year in Formula 1 – Ferrari has been waiting for the next title success among the drivers.
Vettel was unable to create an era like the one Michael Schumacher had shaped at the Scuderia with his five titles in a row. His time at Ferrari from 2015 to 2020 was ultimately one of failure. The two-time champion Fernando Alonso was once lured to Maranello. He also didn't become world champion with the most famous of all Formula 1 cars.
And Hamilton's designated teammate Charles Leclerc has also tried again and again in vain. The contract with the 26-year-old Monegasque was recently extended early. The Spaniard Carlos Sainz will probably have to clear the cockpit for Hamilton after this season. Who would succeed the Brit at Mercedes? There could be an opportunity for Mick Schumacher, who is also a reserve pilot this year and otherwise competes in long-distance races for the French Alpine team.
“Our story is not over yet, we are determined to achieve more together and we will not stop until we have achieved it,” Hamilton said during his last contract extension with Mercedes.
The appeal of Ferrari and rumors of a move to Formula 1's most prestigious racing team have accompanied him for years. Hamilton admitted last year that he had already imagined what it would be like to “drive in red.” “But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and that is my home.” Hamilton’s future home will now be called Ferrari.
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