RED AND RECEIVED
Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari as he and Mercedes confirm shock exit in 2025 after Brit triggers secret contract clause
Check out Hamilton's incredible Mercedes stats below
LEWIS HAMILTON has signed a £100million mega deal to join Ferrari in a switch that has shocked F1.
The seven-time world champion has agreed to drive for F1's most famous team in 2025 and 2026.
5
5
5
The Brit, who will see out this season with Mercedes, has identified the Italian team as the best option to win a record eighth world title.
It is a hammer blow to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff ahead of the new F1 season, which kicks off in Bahrain on March 2nd.
In a statement issued by Mercedes, Hamilton, 39, said he was committed to finishing the season with Mercedes before taking on a new challenge.
He said: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together.
"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. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together.
"I am 100 percent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."
Wolff added: "We knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come.
Most read in Motorsport
5
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
"We accept Lewis's decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate.
"But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024."
Ferrari confirmed the news minutes later, releasing their own statement that simply said: "Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract."
The bombshell switch will see him partner Charles Leclerc and comes after Red Bull had made it clear they did not see Hamilton in their team.
SunSport understands Hamilton brokered the deal himself with Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur.
The two are friends and in 2006 Hamilton won the GP2 title driving for Vasseur's ART teams.
WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?
Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
Here, SunSport's F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri - McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes' reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo - The experienced driver's future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull's B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.
Kimi Antonelli - You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Mick Schumacher - Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you'd at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he'd still be driving in F1.
Alex Albon - A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.
Negotiations were done swiftly as he utilised an exit deal he had inserted into his Mercedes deal, which he only signed last summer.
Hamilton had always pledged his loyalty to Mercedes and Wolff, who along with the team's designer, James Allison, recently agreed contract extensions in what could have been a final throw of the dice to convince him to stay on.
However, Hamilton seems to be unconvinced after two difficult years at Mercedes where he is winless since December 2021 - the same season he lost the title to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
His switch to Ferrari was sanctioned by the car company's chairman John Elkann, who has been a long-term admirer of Hamilton's talent.
As rumours of Hamilton's switch to Ferrari leaked out, it triggered an astonishing surge in Ferrari's share price, which skyrocketed by over £3 billion to an all-time high.
Hamilton's move will see Carlos Sainz leave Ferrari next winter and he has been tipped to join the Audi team, who will take over at Sauber.
Sainz said: "Following today's news Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024.
"We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the Team and for Tifosi all around the world.
"News about my future will be announced in due course."
Read More on The US Sun
Meanwhile, Mercedes are expected to turn their attentions to William's London-born racer Alex Albon, or their young driver 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who will make his F2 debut this season.
5
🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar - details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁