In news that will no doubt come as a shock to the entire Mercedes AMG Petronas fandom, reports claim that Lewis Hamilton, who clinched six of his world championships with the German manufacturer, is set to make a dramatic move to Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season. (More Motorsports News)
According to a BBC report, there is a strong likelihood of Hamilton switching teams, even though he is currently under a two-year contract with the Silver Arrows that he signed in 2024.
However, officially nothing has been announced. Neither of the teams nor Lewis Hamilton has accepted the claims yet. But as per the report, Mercedes has arranged a meeting with its chief members, including principal Toto Wolff and technical director James Allison. And this meeting could be about discussing Hamilton's contract's premature end after the 2024 F1 season.
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After a disappointing 2022 Formula One season without a single win, the seven-time world champion was spotted meeting with Scuderia Ferrari's new principal, Fred Vasseur, and president John Elkann in 2023. There were rumours suggesting that he might switch teams due to his dissatisfaction with the Mercedes W13, which he referred to as 'Garbage'.
However, upon hearing these rumours, the British driver made a strong statement to the press, asserting 'Mercedes is my family' and that he would not leave the team even after retiring, as he might pursue other roles beyond driving for Mercedes.
Despite this, the question remains: can we expect another year of defeat after he made these claims? The 2023 F1 season was dominated by Red Bull once again. Mercedes W14 failed to beat Red Bull's RB19 pace every single time they went on wheels to wheels. Hamilton ended the season with 0 wins 6 podiums and 234 points behind the three-time world champion Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez.
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Many F1 pundits claimed that remaining with Mercedes has prevented the Briton from achieving his one remaining goal: securing an eighth world championship title and surpassing Schumacher's record. And then there's another unfulfilled goal of the Prancing Horses, a world championship that they could not achieve since 2008. These aren't just coincidences, reports are claiming this collaboration to be almost true. Meaning, something shocking is happening.
Lewis Hamilton's ability to make daring moves, as evidenced by history, supports the claim by BBC and other Spanish and Italian media that he may bid farewell to Mercedes after 2024. Hamilton switched from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 and secured his second championship in 2014. The British driver's participation was initially seen as a risky decision, but he and the German manufacturers demonstrated that it was actually the most successful choice globally.
Dominating through the turbo hybrid era since 2014 Hamilton and Mercedes became a seven-time driver's and eight-time constructor's championship respectively till 2019. However, after Red Bull's comeback in 2022, it is no shock to know that Hamilton might be desperate enough to make another such bold move.
In 2022, team Mercedes achieved a solitary victory, thanks to newcomer George Russell. He emerged victorious at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, a race that was expected to be won by the Brazilian honoured citizen, Lewis Hamilton.
Many indications point to Hamilton's imminent move to Ferrari being accurate. Official confirmation is expected soon.
