After 11 years with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, Lewis Hamilton will be racing for Ferrari in 2025.
With seven championship titles, 103 race wins, 104 pole positions and 197 podiums under his belt, Lewis Hamilton is already one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers in history. On Thursday, news broke that Hamilton will move from Mercedes-AMG Petronas to the most illustrious team in the sport: Scuderia Ferrari. After his first six years at the McLaren team and a further 12 with Mercedes (including 2024), his first season at the Ferrari team will kick off next year.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together,” Hamilton said in a statement released by the Mercedes F1 team. “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. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto [Wolff] for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”
While he recently signed a new two-year contract with the Mercedes F1 team last year, Hamilton exercised his release option after the 2023 season. With Scuderia Ferrari, he will replace Carlos Sainz Jr., who has been with the team since 2021.
Scuderia Ferrari, as the rankings currently stand, holds 242 wins, 249 poles, and 16 constructor’s championships to its name. Hamilton joining the team could also net the team’s first drivers’ title since 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen beat Hamilton for the championship title by one point during his rookie season.
However the 2024 season shakes out, both this year and next will definitely be worth following. The 2024 F1 calendar begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
