Formula 1’s golden child Lewis Hamilton has announced that he will be leaving Mercedes and joining Ferrari from 2025 onwards, sending the F1 fans into an absolute tizz. To put how big this is in perspective, I have to quote my very smart, talented, hot colleague Soaliha — “It’s like the sports girlie version of Zayn leaving One Direction”. She’s right folks, buckle up.
On Friday, Mercedes announced its partnership with the seven-time world champion had come to an end after 11 years after Hamilton used the release option in his contract.
Hamilton released his own statement reflecting on his time with Mercedes.
“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,” he said.
“It’s a place where I have grown up, so 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.”
Soon after, Scuderia Ferrari confirmed in a statement to social media that Hamilton would be donning the sexy red outfit as one of their two drivers in 2025.
“Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” they wrote alongside an image of the famed Scuderia Ferrari symbol.
Hamilton will be replacing smooooooth operator Carlos Sainz Jr and partnering with Charles Leclerc — who, in my opinion, genuinely looks like he could be a member of a boy band.
While it’s a rough one for Carlos, the good news is that immediately fans are whispering that he could be a consideration for the Mercedes seat.
In a statement posted to his own social media, Carlos said that he’s still ready to smash a great 2024 season with Ferrari and that news about his future in F1 will be announced “in due course”.
The thing is, although there had been whispers for the last few years that Hamilton would make the jump, no one thought the cool cat would actually do it. His friendship with Mercedes’s daddy team principal Toto Wolf seemed too rock solid and loyal for the F1 GOAT to make the jump.
However, it’s important to note that Ferrari is technically the F1’s most valuable team. Although it hasn’t had a solid winning streak like Mercedes did with Hamilton, its longevity and brand awareness have been pretty consistent. In 2023, Ferrari was valued at a whopping $3.9 billion. Mercedes was valued at $3.8 billion. Not too shabby either way but it makes sense that Ferrari could afford to get Hamilton on their team.
Plus, there is something special about Ferrari. It’s associated with speed and I’m pretty certain it’s a fact that red goes faster? Red = fast. Red = zoom…Right?
