Lewis Hamilton officially becomes a Ferrari driver as world enters 2025

Lewis Hamilton officially saw his time with Mercedes end as the world entered the new year and he officially became a Ferrari driver alongside Charles Leclerc. 

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

In February 2024, Hamilton sent shockwaves through the paddock, social media and mainstream media with the announcement he was to activate a clause in his contract to allow him to leave Mercedes, a team he spent the last 12 years with.

It was quickly announced that the multiple world champion had signed a contract with the famous Italian Prancing Horse team, replacing Williams-bound Carlos Sainz to partner up with Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season. 

Despite the end of the season occurring in December, Hamilton was not able to be released from his contract early. The team held him to his agreement – ending December 31, 2024 – to allow the seven-time world champion to complete post-season duties and farewells. 

As of 00:00am, January 1, 2025, this no longer applies and Hamilton is now a Ferrari driver.  

00:00 UTC. January 1. 2025.

Lewis Hamilton is a Scuderia Ferrari driver.

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 1, 2025

Although Hamilton was signed on to be a Ferrari driver from this season onwards, the seven-time world champion still had to compete for the Mercedes team in 2024. 

Mercedes continued on their rebuilding process having not won a race in 2023 despite a second-place finish in the constructors, looking to find solutions to their problematic car. A car which – before the 2024 season – had only secured one win since the ground-affect era began in 2022. 

Their season had glimmers of promise with a total of four wins across the 24 seasons, winning in; Austria, Silverstone, Belgium and Las Vegas (USA), between their drivers Hamilton and George Russell and ultimately beating their 2023 win tally (zero). 

However, Hamilton’s and Mercedes’s season faltered away in the latter stages with reports claiming the Briton wanted to leave the team, with three races remaining, after a torrid time in Brazil.

Read more Formula 1 here:

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• Five things Sergio Perez failed to do at Red Bull before exit
• Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes F1 as reserve driver

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.