Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari in what is arguably the biggest driver transfer Formula 1 has ever seen. Hamilton dropped the bombshell about his 2025 plans even before the season had started.
Part of the reason the news was so surprising was that Hamilton was ostensibly under contract at Mercedes for another year. It was only last August that he’d signed his extension.
However, it emerged that the second year of that agreement was optional. When the opportunity to join the Scuderia opened up, he took it.
Hamilton is the most successful driver in the sport’s history. In addition to his seven world championships, he’s won 103 races, 12 more than nearest challenger Michael Schumacher.
What’s more, Ferrari are undoubtedly F1’s most iconic team. They have won the constructors’ title 16 times, nearly double second-place Williams (nine).
Fred Vasseur says Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari news leaked from UK side
Given the magnitude of the story, it was remarkable that it only became public knowledge on 1 February, the same day that Ferrari made the announcement. Ordinarily, the secret would be exposed some way in advance.
Hamilton even caught Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff by surprise by committing to the move in the winter. Wolff had to hastily put together the plans for Mercedes’ statement.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, his Ferrari counterpart Fred Vasseur praised the behaviour of the parties involved. He said negotiations were carried out within ‘a small group’ over a number of months, without information trickling out.
In the end, a British-based source informed the press. The Mercedes team is headquartered in Brackley, but it’s unclear if they were responsible.
Vasseur said: “We had no leaks. I think it was done by purpose by someone from the UK. I really appreciated that we are a small group, and we worked for months, and we are able to go until the end and had no leakage. It was a good one.”
How Carlos Sainz reacted to Hamilton Ferrari news
For Vasseur and Ferrari, the joy of signing Hamilton would been somewhat tainted by the loss ofCarlos Sainz. The Spaniard will lose his drive to make way for the 39-year-old, and not through any fault of his own.
Sainz has performed well for the team since his arrival in 2021 and was the only driver outside Red Bull to win a Grand Prix last season. His only failing, you could argue, was not being Lewis Hamilton.
Vasseur has revealed details of his conversation with the former McLaren man. He says Sainz found it ‘difficult’ to take but vowed to push until ‘the last corner of the last lap of the season’.
In a fresh ‘slap in the face’, Ferrari could now sign the sport’s most famous designer in Adrian Newey. Hamilton has been ‘instrumental’ in attracting Newey to the Scuderia, and if he does agree to join, the Scuderia could be title favourites come 2026.
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