Lewis Hamilton Shocks Mercedes F1 Fans With News He's Leaving For Ferrari

In what can be described as one of the most shocking moves in the history of motorsports racing, British F1 legend Lewis Hamilton is shifting base and moving to Ferrari. "Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract, the team posted on the official Ferrari website.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last year.

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 1, 2024

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, is moving to a team where German Formula One legend Michael Schumacher himself rewrote history by winning a record number of world championships. The Brit's exit from Mercedes, where he won six of his seven titles, marks an end to a 12-season-long-run.

According to the team's official account, it was Hamilton who activated a release clause in his contract and triggered the move to Team Red. As for Ferrari, given Hamilton's imperious form, Ferrari would once again like to get in the race for a title that has eluded the Italian brand for a while now. So far, neither party has explained the terms of the contract or what exactly pushed Hamilton to switch teams.

Earlier today, an ESPN report citing insider sources claimed that Hamilton was on the verge of joining Ferrari. Notably, Hamilton extended his tenure at Mercedes by two years in 2023, but only a year into the contract extension, Hamilton shifted home without any explanation. Hamilton is said to replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, which itself witnessed a high-profile exit in 2022 when Sebastian Vettel left. 

He will now share the circuit with Charles Leclerc, who sat at the fifth spot on the points table for the 2023 season while Hamilton was in the third position. Hamilton, who currently leads with a world record number of title wins for a driver, also gave Mercedes its best run ever in Formula 1 history. While the 2022 season was a disappointing one for Hamilton marred with technical issues, he'll now focus on breaking Schumacher's record by winning an unprecedented eighth Constructors' title with Ferrari.