The Formula 1 (F1) Ferrari Team will soon have another illustrious driver added to their ranks, with the seven-time world champion set to replace Carlos Sainz in a shock move. Hamilton’s move is somewhat of a surprise after he signed a 2-year contract with Mercedes that will expire at the end of 2025.
To make the move, Hamilton activated a release clause in his Mercedes contract, and Ferrari confirmed this week that the seven-time world champion is joining them on a "multi-year" deal. Hamilton will be joined at Ferrari next year by Charles Leclerc, who signed a new contract with Ferrari last week.
Hamilton is the most successful driver in F1 history with 103 wins and 104 pole positions and formed the most successful team-driver partnership in F1 history at Mercedes since joining from McLaren in 2013m with 82 victories and 6 world titles. However, he hasn’t won a race since December 2021 and failed to take pole position for the first time in 2022.
A move that was rumoured for a while
Since Hamilton started his F1 career started in 2007 with McLaren, he has been linked to a move with Ferrari several times. However, despite these links, he signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes last summer to stay until the end of 2025, along with Mercedes team-mate George Russell. A possible move was further downplayed in May 2023, with Hamilton insisting that he was happy at Mercedes.
Despite these assurances, the 39-year-old Hamilton held talks with Ferrari as recently as last year, after previous links during his time at Mercedes. He also hinted at the move in May 2023 on Espn, saying “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... But then I go to my team, to Mercedes, and this is my is my home. I'm happy where I am. I haven't signed a contract yet, but we are working on one."
One of F1's biggest-ever moves
Hamilton is arguably in the twilight of his career, and the move could either be a masterstroke by Ferrari or a total flop. Whatever happens though, there’s no denying that this is et to be one of the biggest moves to ever happen in F1.
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