Hamilton to Ferrari: A Historical Move

Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 signing to Ferrari has sent shockwaves throughout the F1 community, and rightly so. Having remained with the Mercedes team for 11 seasons, 2024 will be the last one with the Silver/Black Arrows. However, what does this mean for his prospects with the Scuderia? And who will Mercedes choose as the Brit’s replacement? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

How it unfolded

Just five months after signing a deal until the end of 2025, the seven-time world champion signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari, which was first announced by Italian news firm Corriere della Sera.

The news was then confirmed by Ferrari who released a very concise statement regarding Hamilton.

Scuderia Ferrari:

*“Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.”*

As the news about Hamilton’s arrival trickled through the F1 paddock, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff arranged an emergency meeting at Brackley to inform the Mercedes personnel about the Brit’s departure. Mercedes also expressed its thoughts on the situation.

Toto Wolff on Lewis Hamilton’s departure:

“We knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come… But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”

Hamilton also expressed his gratitude for everything Mercedes has given him:

“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, 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.

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.”

Mercedes will undoubtedly be sad to see their star driver go, I’m sure you’ll agree that he’s had a great run. Achieving 82 wins with Mercedes, a record for most wins with a single team, and all of his wins so far with a Mercedes power unit, Hamilton has cemented his status as a legend in the sport.

According to multiple sources, Hamilton broke the news of his departure over a game of paintball with his team, a fitting way to celebrate such an amazing career.

Learn from history

However, as a lifelong Sebastian Vettel fan, I can’t help but draw parallels between this signing and Vettel’s signing with the team in red. Both won four consecutive titles with extreme dominance. Both had a rather poor season, or in Hamilton’s case, two seasons following their success.

Both then signed a contract with Ferrari in hopes of sending off their career in style. We all know how Vettel’s stint with Ferrari ended…

Now, I’m not saying Lewis won’t do well at Ferrari. I genuinely hope he can be the one that restores the team to its former glory, who are experiencing a 17-year-long wait for a title. We can’t just pretend putting on a Ferrari suit instantly translates to championships, just look at the drivers that came after 2007. Massa, Alonso, and Vettel have tried their luck at winning a title in red and have failed.

It’s looking a lot like 1996

When Schumacher came to Ferrari in 1996, the team was in disarray. It took the German only a few races before he displayed sensational performances, something which sparked a lifelong partnership between Schumacher and Ferrari.

This places a lot of pressure on Hamilton to perform from the get-go at Ferrari, which I’m sure he will most definitely do.

Could Hamilton’s “multi-year” stint at the team prove successful? 2025 seems to be a transitionary period for Formula 1 teams as they gear up for the most radical regulation change in history. Ferrari hasn’t been the clear favourite since the days of Schumacher in the early 2000s, something which Hamilton will most definitely aim to emulate from 2025.

Clearly, Hamilton has a lot of faith in Fred Vasseur, who worked with Lewis in his years before F1, and the Ferrari team, who are poised to have one of the most dynamic pairings in the history of the sport.

Surely Ferrari has shown Hamilton its intentions for 2025 and beyond and that’s convinced him enough to sign with the team, even before the start of his final year with Mercedes. I think that he’s made the right choice because Mercedes most likely won’t make much progress in 2024 to be able to fight for a championship with Red Bull and Verstappen.

Despite losing out on second in the constructors championship, Ferrari has consistently been in the top three teams in the last few seasons. That being said, Hamilton will undoubtedly go into Ferrari knowing that Leclerc, who is one of Ferrari’s longest-serving drivers, will be the main focus.

As much as we’d like to think Hamilton will steal the show, history has taught us that teams generally pin their hopes on young talent rather than older champions. It will be very interesting to see if Ferrari will attempt a careful balancing game to manage the position of both Leclerc and Hamilton within the team.

2019 was the last time we saw something similar as Ferrari awkwardly tried to signal to fans and its staff that Leclerc was now the number one driver, not Vettel – that’s a story for another day.

The elephant in the room

The departure of Hamilton means that a seat at one of Formula One’s most successful teams has just opened up and there will be a long line of potential replacements for the Brit.

The timing of the announcement may seem a bit strange but this now gives Mercedes an entire season to assess its options and make the right choice. So, who’s next in line for the Mercedes seat? If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I would’ve confidently said Lando Norris.

But with Norris locked in at McLaren for several years, Mercedes might’ve just lost its number-one choice. Other drivers include Alex Albon, who’s shown incredible pace at Williams, Esteban Ocon, who has always remained close with the Mercedes family, and potentially the outbound Carlos Sainz Jr, who has also been rumoured to have already signed a contract with Audi.

I think that Mercedes won’t choose any of those drivers that I’ve just listed. Instead, I’m confident they’ll choose one of the best drivers the sport has seen in the last few decades, Fernando Alonso. Imagine. Just imagine. Alonso has shown no signs of slowing down despite entering his fourties during his stint with Aston Martin.

The 42-year-old would be the perfect candidate for the second Mercedes seat as he already has great chemistry with George Russell and has showcased his ability to drag a potentially slower car to the top of the podium.

As for Carlos Sainz, my heart goes out to him. Despite him claiming Ferrari’s only win in 2023, I feel his time at Ferrari has been a character-building experience. He’s been on par with Leclerc at times and even bested him on a handful of occasions.

The Spaniard’s options for 2025 and behind remain uncertain. His father, being a works-Audi driver, could be a large contributor to making a deal with Audi happen.

Raking it in

The news of Hamilton’s signing has done wonders for Ferrari both on social media and in the stock markets. Ferrari’s stock price rose over 10% on the day of the announcement, adding a whopping $7 billion value to the motoring giant.

Hamilton’s new partnership with Ferrari could also pave the way for off-track initiatives, where Hamilton has excelled in recent years.

With his eye on the music and fashion industry, the combination of the Hamilton and Ferrari name could be one of the greatest sporting relationships in history.

What now?

With pre-season testing due to begin in just under three weeks, all eyes will be on Hamilton to see if he can have one final hurrah with the team he’s been a part of for so long. I’m sure that whatever happens, this signing has been one of the biggest surprises in Formula One history.