Lewis Hamilton may be on his way out of Mercedes and according to a report, the seven-time champion may be joining Ferrari. Hamilton be the replacement for Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, according to multiple media reports.
Hamilton, now aged 39, has been chased by Ferarri in the past but has stayed with Mercedes and 2023 signed a multi-year contract with Mercedes in 2024 and 2025. According to a report by Italian news outlet Formu1a.uno, the deal may have a clause which allows Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to extend the period beyond 2025, leaving the door open for the racer to join Ferarri after 2025.
Mercedes and Ferrari declined to comment on the speculation.
Sky Sports television said it understood Mercedes principal Toto Wolff would brief the team before a formal announcement later on Thursday.
“This is unreal!!! Biggest driver move shock since….. Lewis left Mclaren for Mercedes! Thought that Lewis would end his career at Merc but a chance to have a blast in the red car may have lured him in. Fascinating stuff,” Karun Chandhok wrote on X.
Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013 and won his first title with McLaren in 2008.
Although the specifics of the financial agreement had been withheld, reports have estimated that Hamilton’s contract might be worth GBP 50 million annually, which stands at around USD 63.41 million.
“We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do,” Hamilton had said in a statement.
But the last two seasons have not been ideal for either Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes, with Red Bull and Max Verstappen ruling the winners charts.
“We’ve had such an incredible journey together. Mercedes have supported me since I was 13, such a long trip, and we still have unfinished business. We’re in this together, we’ve got a lot of work to do to get us back to the front but there’s no place I’d rather be,” Hamilton had said last year.
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