The Formula 1 (F1) off-season has shocked fans of the sport once again. In a jaw-dropping move, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has decided to change teams for the 2025 season. This might not seem like a big deal—drivers change teams all the time—but some background is needed to fully understand the importance of this news.
Hamilton started in F1 with Mclaren in 2007, breaking records right off the bat including most wins and most points scored in a rookie season. He moved to Mercedes in 2013, and has been with them ever since, achieving six of his seven driver championships with the team. To many fans, it seemed like he would stay with them forever.
However, on February 1, it was announced that he would be moving to Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The Mercedes F1 Team announced it first on X (formerly Twitter): “Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season.” Following up on that, the Scuderia Ferrari team said they were, “pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.”
Hamilton himself spoke out about the move, saying, “I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfill another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red.”
Currently, Scuderia Ferrari has Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on their roster. Speculation that Hamilton would be replacing Sainz at the team, and partnering with Leclerc, was confirmed later that day. “Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024,” Sainz said on X. “News about my future will be announced in due course.” Many fans are saddened by this, and hope that Sainz—who has raced for four teams since his F1 debut in 2015—will find another team to race for in 2025.
Even though this news has been released, the focus for drivers and teams right now is on the upcoming 2024 season, which begins with car testing in Bahrain later this month. George Russell, Hamilton’s current teammate on Mercedes, has commented on this news and on the season ahead of them. “It’s been special racing alongside you, @lewishamilton. Let’s make this season one to remember,” Russell, who has been driving with Hamilton for Mercedes since 2022, said on X. Hamilton also described his mindset moving forward from this news. “I’m not thinking about 2025. My focus is on the upcoming season and getting back out on track with Mercedes… I am 100% committed to the job I need to do and determined to end my partnership with the team on a high,” he stated. Fans would love to see him on the top step of the podium for the first time since December 5, 2021.
Freshman Emily Myers is a Staff Writer. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.