F1’s silly season last year was a pretty boring affair, as the 20 drivers who finished the 2023 season were scheduled to start the 2024 season in the same 20 slots. This is a first for the sport.
It is increasingly likely that the same will not be the case in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton is set to make a shock move to Ferrari for the 2025 season, according to reports, meaning the 2024 season will be his last with Mercedes. motorsport was one of the first news outlets to confirm the report, Sky Sports F1.
According to a report from Sky Sports F1Mercedes employees will be informed of the decision at the team’s Brackley factory on Thursday ahead of an official announcement.
Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes was a hot topic last season as the driver was in the final year of his contract. Ultimately, he and the team signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at Mercedes until the 2025 season. However, there is now growing speculation that the deal was simply a one-year deal with an option for 2025, which could affect a move to Ferrari. Rumors of a possible surprise move to the Scuderia circulated a season ago, but officials have repeatedly denied them.
As for Ferrari, they announced a contract extension with Charles Leclerc in January. However, Carlos Sainz Jr., who is under contract until 2024, has not yet received his own contract extension. Sainz has always had a relationship with Audi, with the German manufacturer set to join the grid as a works team in 2026.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is not only a huge change in the sport, but also a reunion for the seven-time drivers’ champion. Early in Hamilton’s career, when he was competing at the lower levels, he drove for Frédéric Vasseur’s team. Hamilton drove for his ASM team and his ART team in Vasseur in 2004 and when he won the F3 Euro Series and his GP2 championship in 2005 respectively.
Vasseur is currently Ferrari team principal.
