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Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes watches the Mercedes GP team photo during previews ahead of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on November 23, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Clive Rosa | Getty Images Sport | fake images
It will end a 12-year driving pairing for Mercedes and Hamilton, which team principal Toto Wolff described as “the most successful the sport has ever seen.”
Now recognized as a global icon, Hamilton first signed with Mercedes in 2013 and won six of his seven world titles with the team between 2014 and 2020.
However, an extraordinary run of success has since petered out and Hamilton has not won a race since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in December 2021.
“Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13. It’s a place where I grew up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Hamilton saying in a sentence. “But the time is right to take this step and I am excited to take on a new challenge.”
Ferrari, for its part, issued a brief statement. saying The team was “pleased” to announce that Hamilton would join on a multi-year deal.
The news shocked F1, with 2009 world champion Jenson Button saying he too had been taken by surprise.
“This is huge for the sport,” Button said. he told Sky Sports F1 Thursday. Button competed in the same McLaren team as Hamilton from 2010 to 2012.
“Having this change for Ferrari is huge. I think it’s fantastic for the sport. Everyone will have their eyes on Formula 1, especially Ferrari and Lewis,” he added.
When asked why Hamilton had decided to make the step up for the 2025 season, Button replied: “Obviously, 12 years at Mercedes is more than most people spend in Formula One. Spending it with one team and achieving what that they have, maybe he also wanted something different to give it a little flavor.
“It’s a big deal and I can’t wait to see how he does in the Ferrari,” Button said.
The prospect of Hamilton joining Ferrari had long been the subject of intense speculation, although Hamilton had already saying He intended to stay with Mercedes for the rest of his life.
“Obviously something has changed: either he doesn’t like what he’s seeing at Mercedes or he just wanted a new challenge (for) this final phase of his Grand Prix career and he’s taken the leap,” said former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle. A driver and commentator, he told Sky News Thursday.
“I think the appeal was too big for him, and it’s great for Formula One and it’s great for us.”
Brundle said one reason Hamilton may have decided to make the change could be an upcoming rules revamp, with new regulations in 2026 to increase the electrical performance of F1 engines.
The scheduled restart is the first major rules shake-up since 2014.
Third place finisher Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari celebrate on the podium during the F1 Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 3, 2023 in Monza, Italy.
Dan Istitene – Formula 1 | Formula 1 | fake images
“Remember, many of us were surprised when Lewis left McLaren for Mercedes Benz, but they, through (then team principal) Ross Brawn and others, showed Lewis that ‘look, when this restart comes in 2014 ‘We think we’ll be there before the game,'” Brundle said.
“If Ferrari says: ‘we believe we are going to comply with the 2026 regulations’… it is a kind of repeat of the action in that sense from when Lewis left McLaren,” he continued. “At first it was difficult for Mercedes, but then of course they became absolutely dominant winning machines.”
Oscar Pisatri, an Australian driver who competes for McLaren, seemed to sum up the feeling of the other drivers on the grid after Thursday’s announcement.
In a post on social media site saying: “I just went for a run. Have I missed something?”
The start of the next Formula One season gets going in Bahrain since February 29.