Bye Mercedes, Ciao Ferrari?
Lewis Hamilton is facing a sensational change
February 1, 2024, 12:28 p.m
According to media reports, Lewis Hamilton is preparing to leave Mercedes. The Formula 1 record world champion could therefore drive for Ferrari from 2025. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has at least summoned the staff.
In the last two Formula 1 seasons, Lewis Hamilton was only a supporting actor. While Max Verstappen raced from victory after victory in the Red Bull and thus to confident world championship titles, the record world champion did his laps too often with too much of a gap to the leaders. This can be seen from the fact that Hamilton remained without a win in his F1 seasons 16 and 17, after he had always been on top of the podium at least once in the previous 15 years. In order to escape this lack of success, the 39-year-old should now prepare a spectacular change.
According to the BBC, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has announced a meeting with the workforce for this Thursday at 3 p.m. German time. This is supposedly about saying goodbye to Hamilton.
According to consistent reports from international specialist media, Hamilton is about to move to Ferrari. There is talk of “advanced negotiations” in order to compete for the Scuderia from Maranello from 2025. The current contract with Mercedes, however, runs until the end of 2025 – but it is conceivable that the record world champion and the German car manufacturer’s factory team have agreed on an exit clause. Hamilton has been driving for Mercedes since 2013, has won six of his world championship titles there, and both sides regularly emphasize their respective appreciation.
According to “Autosport”, the negotiations could even be completed “by the end of this week”. Accordingly, Ferrari seems to have succeeded in convincing the seven-time world champion that the future in red promises more success than in silver. The racing teams did not want to comment on the reports when asked. Ferrari’s interest in Hamilton has been a recurring topic for years and is only logical given the Brit’s successes and the Scuderia’s own demands.
Just a few days ago, Ferrari extended the contract with Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque was runner-up to Verstappen in 2022 and has been considered the future title holder (albeit for several years now). With him and Hamilton, the Scuderia would probably have the strongest of all driver duos. The contract of his current teammate Carlos Sainz, the only non-Red Bull race winner in 2023, expires at the end of this year. For Hamilton, the change from silver to red would be a turning point: In the premier class, he has so far only driven with Mercedes engines, initially for McLaren (2007 to 2012) and since 2013 for the works team.