Hamilton signed: driving for Ferrari in 2025

Lewis Hamilton will be driving for Ferrari in the Formula 1 World Championship "from 2025, with a multi-year contract". This has just been announced by the Maranello team, confirming the rumours that had been circulating in recent hours.

"The time has come for me to take this step and I am excited to take on a new challenge." So says Lewis Hamilton in a statement released by the Mercedes team along with the announcement of his divorce in 2024, without explicitly naming Ferrari, to which he is destined. "I have spent 11 wonderful years with this team," Hamilton continued, "and I am so proud of what we have achieved together. The decision to leave was one of the hardest I have ever had to make. I want to finish great together and I want to make it unforgettable."

Hamilton last summer signed a £100 million contract for another two years with Mercedes, but even if this expires at the end of 2025, the champion would be ready to leave the team at the end of this year. Should he actually join Ferrari, Hamilton would have to take over from Carlos Sainz, whose contract expires at the end of 2024, while the other Ferrari driver, Monegasque Charles Leclerc, has recently signed a new long-term deal.

"I am very surprised about Hamilton's move to Ferrari, he must have had his reasons. The only thing to say is to wish Ferrari and the English driver all the best'. These are the words of Flavio Briatore to LaPresse, commenting on the rumours that the official announcement of Hamilton's move to the Maranello team from 2025 is imminent. 'Do I share the choice? I don't know, first of all you have to get the car right, you can also have 'Batman' in the team but if the car is not competitive it's not like the driver can make a difference. It is fundamental that the car works,' he added.

For Briatore, Hamilton's age is certainly not a problem: 'In F1 what counts is the stopwatch. We saw what Alonso did last year. Hamilton is two years younger, he is not a flower or a primrose. But we are talking about drivers with great experience. The only thing that matters is the times you set per lap, in the race, the consistency and how it helps to tune the car. Not your age or how tall you are.