First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Editor-in-Chief.

Date marked: 16th February 2024

It was a moment that people could only create mere rumours about, a moment that changed the history of Formula 1 and a moment that left Hamilton fans feeling surprised.

Sir Lewis Hamilton will be joining Ferrari in the 2025 season.

The significance of this moment cannot be overstated nor overshadowed by the idea that moving teams is as simple as football. Sir Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren’s young driver programme in 1998, leading him to make Formula 1 history as the first black driver in 2007, and he continued to race with McLaren until 2012. Since then, he has driven for Mercedes and paved the way for various programmes. Mercedes has the highest diversity and the largest number of women employed. Many regarded that Hamilton would never leave Mercedes after winning seven world championships with them.

The move to Ferrari is not as peaceful as just changing cars and mechanics. It also leads Ferrari to no longer renew their contract with Carlos Sainz. Formula 1 teams all have a first driver and a second driver; for Ferrari, that is Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who replaced Sebastian Vettel when he retired, and for Mercedes, that is Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. While Leclerc is a phenomenal driver, one cannot imagine a seven-time world champion would settle for a second driver. Russell needs to be an experienced driver to be considered for the first driver.

It begs the question, why did Hamilton move to Ferrari? Some have pointed out similar patterns to his move from McLaren to Mercedes; both took place one year before regulations changed. Others have decided that Sir Lewis Hamilton is a risk taker, and after the nightmares from the 2023 season with the car from hell, one cannot fault him.
Charles Leclerc and Sir Lewis Hamilton got disqualified together earlier in the 2023 season (read the article here).
Leclerc had noted in a previous interview that when asked what he looks for in a teammate, he answered: ‘Hello, Lewis’.
Similarly, both Vettel and Hamilton have referred to seeing themselves in Leclerc. While Hamilton is a supportive driver to the newer and younger drivers, he has always been extra supportive of Leclerc.

During the Las Vegas opening, Hamilton noted that he is a better teammate and driver than in 2016, vaguely referencing the situation named ‘Brocedes’ with Nico Rosberg. The two teammates and best friends collided, resulting in a crash in 2016, leading to a massive fallout in which Rosberg won the championship.

While I disagree that age matters in sports, Sir Lewis Hamilton will be forty when he drives for Ferrari. It was always considered that Hamilton would stay with Mercedes for the rest of his driving career. However, it was announced they had only signed another two-year contract with Hamilton, possibly due to his age. Thus, Ferrari pounced on the opportunity to sign a seven-time world champion. As far as fans were aware, Carlos Sainz was, without a doubt, resigned from Ferrari. Interestingly, Ferrari has yet to win a world championship since 2007.

As Max Verstappen (first driver for Redbull) notes, the upcoming season may be an ‘awkward’ challenge for Sir Lewis Hamilton while he stays with a team he plans to leave next season. I like to hope Mercedes and Toto Wolff will continue to treat Sir Lewis Hamilton well in their goodbyes of the driver. The upcoming 2024 season begins at the start of March. Until then, we will just have to wait.

Will Sir Lewis Hamilton’s power move be a big enough risk to earn him his rightful eight-time world champion title?

Bibliography-

Benson, Andrew. ‘Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says signing ‘huge opportunity’ for team.’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68284596 . Published by BBC Sport, 14th February 2024.

Formula One. ‘Leclerc offers reaction to Hamilton being signed by Ferrari as his new team mate’. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.leclerc-offers-reaction-to-hamilton-being-signed-by-ferrari-as-his-new-team.7JfyqJIvP8KI1JXC8BnyDE.html . Published by Formula One, 13th February 2024.

Jackson, Kieran. ‘Max Verstappen reacts to ‘awkward’ Lewis Hamilton move to Ferrari’. https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/max-verstappen-lewis-hamilton-ferrari-mecedes-f1-b2497328.html . Published by The Independent, 16th February 2024.

Sky Sports. ‘Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver ’emotional’ preparing for final season with team ahead of Ferrari move.’ https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13071476/lewis-hamilton-mercedes-driver-emotional-preparing-for-final-season-with-team-ahead-of-ferrari-move . Published by Sky Sports, 14th February 2024.