Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025, marking the end of his long and successful 12-year stint with Mercedes. The seven-time world champion and the team have mutually agreed that Hamilton will not make the move to Ferrari before 2025.
This decision ensures that Hamilton can fully honor his contract with Mercedes, which runs until the end of the 2024 season, as well as take part in the planned farewell events organized to celebrate his remarkable career with the Silver Arrows. Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari will, therefore, occur after he concludes his current chapter in F1, signaling a new challenge for the British driver at the iconic Italian team.
Vasseur Pushed For An Early Hamilton Move to Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton will be joining Ferrari in 2025, replacing Carlos Sainz, who will leave Ferrari at the end of the current season to begin preparations with his new team, Williams. Despite the arrangements being in place for Hamilton’s move to the Scuderia, the seven-time World Champion and Mercedes have mutually agreed that he will stay with the team until the end of the 2024 season. As a result, an early switch to Ferrari was never seriously considered.
Hamilton acknowledged that the prospect of testing for Ferrari before the end of his contract did not appeal to him. He revealed that in a perfect world, he would have preferred to take his first laps with Ferrari privately, away from the public eye. However, he also recognized that not participating in post-season testing would make his transition into 2025 more challenging. Hamilton expressed understanding of Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur’s desire for an earlier move but explained that his commitment to Mercedes and the pre-planned farewell events made such a move impossible.
While Hamilton admitted he would miss out on valuable time with Ferrari, he assured fans that he would do his best to recover any lost ground when the season starts. He clarified that he had no intention of participating in post-season testing and emphasized that the decision was ultimately about honoring his contract with Mercedes, which runs until December 31st.
“I’m Just Slow,” Says Lewis Hamilton After Sprint Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration with his qualifying performance, acknowledging that it was once again disappointing. Despite feeling that the car was “relatively decent” and having no major issues, Hamilton was 0.299 seconds slower than his teammate, George Russell, in the final qualifying session (SQ3). He admitted that his performance was consistently underwhelming, stating that he feels slow every weekend, without much to add beyond that.
When asked about his qualifying struggles and whether they could be attributed to factors other than his own driving, Hamilton responded that he wasn’t sure, but confessed that he simply isn’t fast anymore. However, he noted that his long run felt somewhat better.
Hamilton also recognized that being in his current position in qualifying makes it nearly impossible to compete for wins, but emphasized that he would do his best in the Sprint race on Saturday. Despite the challenges, he remains committed to maximizing his performance in the upcoming sessions.