Ferrari has officially confirmed that Lewis Hamilton has signed with them marking one of the biggest surprise moves in Formula 1 history.
Ferrari has officially confirmed on Thursday night that Hamilton will race in red following his switch from Mercedes although the seven-time world champion will not drive for the Scuderia up until the 2025 season.
Having just recently signed a contract with the Brackley-based team with which he has won six titles, the seven-time F1 World Champion had a break clause for the second year of his current agreement as he was signed with Mercedes for 2024 and ’25.
After a day filled with a great deal of suspense and speculation, Mercedes announced on Thursday night that their star driver had decided to switch teams after taking use of his second-year break clause.
Just after Mercedes stated Hamilton would not be racing for them in 2025, Ferrari finally made the announcement in a short but major media statement that they have signed the British driver for multiple seasons.
“Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” read the short statement.
However, given Ferrari’s description of the new contract as ‘multi-year,’ it seems likely that Hamilton will similarly have a break clause.
When Hamilton joins Ferrari, he will be reunited with Fred Vasseur, the team boss of the ART GP team, where the Brit won two junior titles years before joining F1. In an interview with the media over the winter, Vasseur stated that he spoke with Hamilton frequently but played down the nature of their conversations.
“I’m talking with Lewis each week or each month for 20 years,” Vasseur said during a media dinner at Maranello. “I can’t say that I didn’t speak with Lewis at one stage because we are always in contact.
“And that’s true with most of the grid because most of the grid drove for me in the past and it’s not because of that.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz responded to Ferrari’s announcement with a brief statement since he will now be unseated from the grid for 2025.
“Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024,” he said. “We still have a long season ahead of us and like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the tifosi all around the world.
“News about my future will be announced in due course.”
