Last night, there was buzz about the latest addition to the Formula 1 Ferrari team, and this morning, the verdict was made official: Lewis Hamilton.
Fans from all around have been on the fence about the decision, uncertain if it was a wise one or not.
Hamilton has been the world champion for seven years straight with Mercedes, but officially announced this morning to be driving for Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
Team Statement
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 1, 2024
Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract. pic.twitter.com/moEMqUgzXH
He will replace Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, and will race alongside Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who recently re-signed his contract with Ferrari. His current contract with Mercedes is to end after the 2025 season.
However, he activated a release option in his contract, marking 2024 as his last season driving for the German team. In his statement, Hamilton said that making the decision to leave "was one of the hardest decisions" he has 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," he added.
Here's a short timeline!
2014: Hamilton moved from McLaren
2014-2020: Hamilton won the World Drivers' Championship with Mercedes, the only other driver to have won seven world championships is Michael Schumacher.
2021: Hamilton was overtaken by Verstappen on the last lap after a highly controversial decision by race director Michael Massi.
2022: Mercedes struggled with performance under the new regulations, and was beaten by rivals Red Bull Racing.
2023: Hamilton renewed his contracts with Mercedes, and he said that he would stay with the team through 2024 and 2025, but he activated a release option, allowing a jump.
2025: Ferrari?
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal and CEO, said the team's partnership with Lewis is "something [the team] can look back on with pride."
"Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come," he added.
