Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025 has been confirmed by all parties. The seven-time world champion has decided to take up the option in his Silver Arrows contract which allows him to end his deal – which he only signed in August – a year early. He will see out one final year with Mercedes in 2024 before joining the iconic Scuderia who have not won a Drivers’ Championship since 2007.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton has never made any secret of his desire to one day drive for Ferrari. His struggles with Mercedes over the last two years have strengthened speculation that he could end his career with the Italian outfit.
Mercedes’ technical issues have seen Hamilton fail to win a record eighth World Drivers’ Championship. Controversially denied by Max Verstappen in 2021, the 39-year-old has fallen well short of the Red Bull star over the past two years.
Hamilton has seemingly banked on the consistency of Ferrari’s car in his attempts to finally topple the world title record he holds jointly with Michael Schumacher. His move also frees up a spot alongside George Russell, an enticing proposition for any driver.
Reports midway through last year suggested that Hamilton was in talks with Ferrari over a deal to join in 2024. However, that switch failed to materialise and he ultimately signed a contract with Mercedes for 2024 and 2025.
That deal, though, included a clause allowing Hamilton to break away from the agreement if a better move arose. Speaking in May about the possibility of leaving Mercedes, Hamilton said: “I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about ending my career anywhere else.
“I started at McLaren, I’d like to think I’ll always be a part of the McLaren family, I started there when I was 13 years old so I thought about what it would look like if I was at McLaren one day. I thought about and watched the Ferrari drivers on the screens at the track and of course you wonder what it would be like to be in red.”
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