Lewis Hamilton officially joins Ferrari in shock F1 move away from Mercedes

The seven-time world champion will join the Scuderia in a stunning switch to race alongside Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton has stunned Mercedes and the world of Formula 1 by joining Ferrari for the 2025 season.

The seven-time F1 world champion, who joined Mercedes in 2013, signed a new two-year deal last summer at the Silver Arrows but has had a shock change of heart as he strives for a record-breaking eighth title in the twilight of his career.

Hamilton, who has signed a “multi-year contract”, will race alongside Charles Leclerc and replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari next year, with the Spaniard out of contract at the iconic Italian team at the end of 2024 and now looking for a new team.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and technical director James Allison informed Mercedes personnel of Hamilton’s departure on Thursday afternoon. The Silver Arrows confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday evening.

Hamilton said: “Making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.

It leaves the Silver Arrows looking for a driver to partner George Russell in 2025, while targeting success with Hamilton in what will be his final season with the team in 2024.

It represents a wild turn of events, less than a month until the start of the new season. Hamilton, who will be 40 by the time he wears the famous scarlet red, has previously been unabating in his commitment to Mercedes.

It is believed that Ferrari president John Elkann has been integral in talks persuading Hamilton to swap Brackley for Maranello next year.

Hamilton added: “I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up.

Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025 in a shock move away from Mercedes (Getty Images)

“I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”

Hamilton, the joint-most successful driver in the sport’s history, has won six of his seven world championships at Mercedes after joining from McLaren in 2013, in what was then a surprising move.

Wolff added: “In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history.

“However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate.

“But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”

The 39-year-old missed out on a record-breaking eighth title in 2021 in controversial circumstances during the final race in Abu Dhabi, while Mercedes have dropped off the pace in the two years since as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull have stormed to regular victories. Hamilton has not won a race since Saudi Arabia in December 2021.

Hamilton signed a new deal last summer but has exercised a release clause in his contract (Mercedes-Benz AG)

Hamilton was heavily linked with Ferrari last May, denying the reports at the time and insisting he wanted to stay at Mercedes “for life”.

The Brit and team-mate Russell both penned extensions until the end of 2025 last August, seemingly reinforcing Hamilton’s commitment to getting Mercedes back on top.

Yet the lure of Ferrari and joining the greats of yesteryear, including Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda, seems to have swayed Hamilton’s mindset as he targets that eighth world championship.

The 2024 season begins four weeks on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.