Surprise in Formula 1: Hamilton switches to Ferrari

The bells were not rung at Maranello, where Ferraris start racing. But the world of motorsport vibrated after the bang on Thursday: Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari. Only in a year, for the 2025 season. But shortly after Mercedes sports director Toto Wolff told the racing team’s employees about the seven-time world champion’s departure after twelve years, a new Ferrari era began: the best will do the honors.

“I have had eleven fantastic years with this team and I am very proud of what we have achieved together,” Hamilton was quoted as saying in a statement from Mercedes. “Mercedes has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old. I grew up with Mercedes, so leaving her was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. But the time is ripe for me to take this step and I’m looking forward to taking on a new challenge.”

A surprise? Yes and no. In the recent past there had been repeated indications of a rapprochement between the Brit and the most famous racing team in Formula 1. Last year a change seemed to be on the horizon. At the time, Hamilton was in contact with Ferrari’s supervisory board chairman John Elkann. Both sides spoke of a rumor. “I see myself at Mercedes until my last days,” explained Hamilton, “if I’m honest.” He wasn’t far-sighted.

Now, at 39, the oath of loyalty no longer applies. Why? Mercedes “gambled away” when the team management, together with the senior engineers, also relied on the spectacular vehicle concept for 2023, but were unable to get the problems under control. Hamilton never complained unduly about this crucial wrong decision. But he will have recognized that the racing team’s renewal machinery, which has repeatedly found brilliant solutions to put a first-class car on wheels since he joined in 2013, is no longer running smoothly. In other words: If Hamilton still had the basic trust in a winning solution that promised him the prospect of an eighth world title, he would hardly have taken the risk of joining a new team in a very complicated environment; to challenge a fast, much younger teammate in Charles Leclerc (26) and ignore the ravages of time. It also gnaws at him.

Reach your destination with coolness

Hamilton has to hurry up. When he gets into the Ferrari for the first time next year, he will be forty, he will need time to get used to it and will get it because 2025 will be the last time the old engine formula will be used. A new Formula 1 phase will begin in 2026 with good opportunities for those who have been lagging behind so far. The time to seek happiness in Maranello next year is therefore wisely chosen. And ultimately the last chance for the Englishman to refine his already extraordinary career: 103 victories, 104 pole positions, adding seven more world championship titles at Mercedes would have been fantastic. To achieve this in the Ferrari, to lead the Scuderia into a new era à la Schumacher, could hardly be improved. A furious finale.

Both the pilot and the racing team see their relationship as a profitable liaison. Between 2014 and 2020, Hamilton won six world titles after his first in the McLaren (2008). But he has not achieved a Grand Prix victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Ferrari hasn’t won a drivers’ title since 2007 (Kimi Raikkonen). The Scuderia’s willingness to court Hamilton speaks of a special expectation and not a special trust in Leclerc. His contract was recently extended. But under pressure, the Monegasque, although now experienced, makes too many mistakes. Hamilton is known for his coolness and his ability to keep track of things in the most difficult moments during the races, finding solutions that even the command center at Mercedes didn’t always see so quickly. He will not move to Italy for a higher fee. Hamilton has enough money. Mercedes pays him – estimated – 40 million euros per season. But the amount of wages serves as a racing driver’s assessment of how serious a team is about him. The most expensive are treated best. Because the investment has to be worth it.

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At first glance, Hamilton’s departure is a disaster for Mercedes. In addition to the loss of trust, engineers and mechanics lose the best reference in their stable. Anyone who has a seven-time world champion with winning genes on their team doesn’t need any special motivation. All of them are based on the requirements of a master pilot and try to meet his level. As Ross Brawn, Technical Director of Ferrari in the Schumacher era, described it, this was one of the reasons for his team’s high level of performance and development over the years. Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, has so far lacked this aura. It remained unclear who would be allowed to board the second Silver Arrow from 2025. One of the test drivers has had his hopes up since Thursday: Mick Schumacher.