Lewis Hamilton Departs Mercedes F1 Team For Scuderia Ferrari In 2025

The morning of February 1st, rumors surrounding 7-time F1 world champ Lewis Hamilton began to swirl. A few hours later, and both Mercedes-AMG Petronas and Scuderia Ferrari confirmed the same thing: Lewis Hamilton would be driving for the Scuderia in 2025, replacing Carlos Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton joined the team more than a decade ago, in 2013, and has had some of the most successful seasons with the team the sport has ever seen. Lewis is the most successful F1 driver in history, at 39 years old, winning a staggering 103 races and 104 pole positions.

Per Mercedes’ statement, the driver activated an exit clause in his contract to take up the offer with the storied Italian team. Hamilton had this to say about his exit: “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.”

Conversely, Ferrari’s announcement was brief, simply confirming the British driver would be headed to Maranello: “Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.” The multi-year contract suggests Hamilton is really with the team for the 2026 season when F1’s rules and regulations will once again shift drastically. Whether Hamilton can pull an astounding eighth championship off remains to be seen.

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