Lewis Hamilton declared his desire to end his F1 career with Mercedes days before signing $430 million Ferrari deal

Lewis Hamilton's switch to Scuderia Ferrari came as a surprise to the F1 grid including his current team, Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton declared his desire to end his F1 career with Mercedes days before signing $430 million Ferrari deal

Lewis Hamilton (Via: Imago)

Lewis Hamilton shocked the sporting world with his move to Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion will be leaving Mercedes after spending over a decade with the team. This decision surprised virtually everyone in the paddock considering the 39-year-old’s relationship with the Silver Arrows. Now, it has been revealed that Hamilton might’ve decided to join Ferrari at the last moment.

As per reports, Lewis Hamilton had informed the Mercedes crew at Brackley that he wanted to see through the end of his F1 career with the team. This happened right before Christmas. However, it seems that things changed in January when Hamilton made his shock announcement to join Maranello after the end of 2024.

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The seven-time world champion signed a massive $430 million deal with the Scuderia just days after intending to stay at Mercedes. Perhaps, Lewis Hamilton had a change in his mindset over Christmas after looking at the progress made by the Brackley-based team. Although it is unclear what exactly pivoted Hamilton to leave the Silver Arrows for Ferrari.

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Can Lewis Hamilton have a successful season with Mercedes before leaving for Ferrari?

Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 after leaving McLaren. The British driver has achieved incredible success with the Silver Arrows since, making him the most successful F1 driver in history. However, the 39-year-old has failed to win a single race in the past two seasons as the Brackley-based team fell behind its rivals.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (Via: Imago)

The seven-time world champion’s switch to Ferrari indicates that Mercedes might not be at the front of the grid in the coming seasons. However, the 39-year-old remains focused on having a successful last season with the Silver Arrows before he moves to Maranello next year.

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton would be looking to extract the most out of his final season with the Brackley-based team. Perhaps, the long-awaited eighth world championship might be the best way for Mercedes to bid farewell to Hamilton. However, it remains to be seen if Hamilton and the Silver Arrows can manage to fight for the title this year.

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