Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One winner, shocked the motorsports world on Thursday when he revealed he would join Ferrari after the 2024 season, leaving Mercedes. Hamilton activated a release clause in August, even though he had signed a new two-year contract deal with Mercedes, which allowed him to join Ferrari in 2025.
This is a major turnabout for the 39-year-old British driver, whom Ferrari had coveted before deciding to commit to Mercedes.
About Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One (F1) drivers of all time. Born on January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, Hamilton began his racing career at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks of karting and junior formulae.
He made his Formula One debut in 2007 with McLaren, where he achieved immediate success by finishing on the podium in his first race and securing his first victory in only his sixth race. Hamilton dramatically won his first World Championship in 2008, becoming the youngest champion in F1 history at the time.
In 2013, Hamilton moved to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, where he has enjoyed unprecedented success.
Hamilton’s remark
He said that he has had an amazing 11 years with this team and is proud of what they have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of his life since he was 13 years old.
He also added that it was one of the hardest decisions he has ever made to leave, as it is a place where he had grown up. However, he feels that now is the appropriate moment for him to make this move, and he is eager to start a new adventure.
Hamilton’s past changes
Following his 2013 switch from McLaren to Mercedes, Hamilton won six of his seven championships with the Silver Arrows. He is the F1 race record holder with 103 victories. His most recent victory, meanwhile, came in the season’s penultimate race in 2021, which speaks to Mercedes’ struggles to make their new vehicle competitive against Red Bull. That could be the main cause of Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes, perhaps.
What else?
As to the report, Hamilton’s choice was greatly impacted by Loic Serra‘s exit from Mercedes. Before joining Ferrari for the 2025 season, Serra was Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes.
According to reports, Serra had disagreements with the Mercedes technical staff under Mike Elliott, especially on the direction of the W13 and W14 projects, which had a noticeably longer wheelbase and floor. It appears that Hamilton and Serra had concerns about the 2022-spec car, which was built under updated technological specifications.
Hamilton’s stance on Mercedes
Throughout the 2023 season, Hamilton has been open about his misgivings regarding the vehicle. According to him, he informed them of the car’s problems last year. He has a great deal of experience driving cars, so he knows what a car requires and doesn’t need.
Hamilton also said, “And I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.”
Nevertheless, even after protracted talks over the contract he signed last year raised rumors he was thinking about joining a different team, Hamilton’s move is rather surprising.
