The F1 world has been hit with a thunderbolt of news that’s sending shockwaves far beyond the paddock: Lewis Hamilton is gearing up in red as he announces a jaw-dropping move to Ferrari for the 2025 season. This revelation comes just months after Hamilton re-committed to Mercedes with a new contract, sparking a frenzy of speculation and surprise across the motorsport landscape.
“We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge,” stated a perhaps shell-shocked Toto Wolff, hinting at the seismic shift this move represents for the Silver Arrows. The news has been dubbed “the transfer of the century” by RMC Sport, with De Telegraaf proclaiming it a move that “turns the F1 world upside down.”
Auto Motor und Sport’s Tobias Gruner revealed that Wolff was blindsided by the news, learning of Hamilton’s secret Ferrari pact merely days ago. This sudden shift sheds light on the recent complexities surrounding Carlos Sainz’s negotiations with Ferrari, with Sainz hinting that an announcement about his own future is imminent. “Carlos and his people knew that Lewis would join the team,” Carlo Vanzini of Sky Italia disclosed, suggesting that even Charles Leclerc was in the loop before re-signing with the Scuderia.
Amidst the flurry of reactions, Alexey Popov muses over Hamilton’s motives, pondering whether insider knowledge or promises of a stronger Ferrari in the new regulatory era swayed his decision. Ferrari’s capture of Hamilton, as per Ferrari aficionado Leo Turrini, is a strategic move by chairman John Elkann to bolster the team’s engineering prowess.
Roger Benoit, meanwhile, anticipates a challenging year ahead for Hamilton at Mercedes, predicting a cold shoulder in car development discussions as Hamilton prepares to take his talents to Maranello. Benoit speculates on a 2-plus-1 contract, hinting at a long-term plan for Hamilton with Ferrari.
As speculation mounts over who will fill Hamilton’s considerable shoes at Mercedes, eyes turn to the prodigious teenager Kimi Antonelli, a family whispered to be close to Wolff and now thrust into the limelight as a potential successor in the making.