Very few drivers in F1 stay with a team for 12 years, with loyalty being only as strong as the car presented to the drivers. Lewis Hamilton was one such driver, who after dominating the grid for eight years with Mercedes, spent three underwhelming seasons with the Silver Arrows. But he too finally called time on his stint ahead of the 2024 season, when he announced a switch to Ferrari for 2025.
The long and difficult final campaign is now over, and Hamilton is no longer a Mercedes driver. It is a huge change in his life because Mercedes had helped his career even before he burst onto the F1 scene. All of his seven title-winning cars had Mercedes power units fitted onto them.
To deal with this huge shift, Hamilton is looking forward to enjoying his time off. After the 2024 season finale, he said, “I need a break now, even if it’s the shortest break I’ve had in many years,” the 39-year-old said after the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Lewis Hamilton: “I need a break now, even if it’s the shortest break I’ve had in many years. Because the training, the preparation for next year… It’s going to be a very steep learning curve, as I’m going to be in a new environment, with a new car, and I….”
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“It’s going to be a very steep learning curve, as I’m going to be in a new environment, with a new car,” he added.
One of the main reasons Hamilton chose Ferrari was its ability to fight for wins and podiums, hinting at the Maranello-based squad’s potential to produce a title-winning car in 2026 when the new regulations take effect. For that, he is excited. “I can’t wait to meet the whole team,” said Hamilton.
Start of a new era for Hamilton?
Since his gutting loss to Max Verstappen in 2021, all Hamilton has dreamt of is the eighth world title. Unfortunately, Mercedes didn’t have the right mechanical package, but he believed that Ferrari did.
However, this potential start of a new successful era for Hamilton won’t come easy. Throughout his career — at McLaren and Mercedes — he has been based out of the UK, his home country. To be close to the Ferrari team members like he wants, the Briton would have to shift to Italy, a completely new environment.
On top of that, Hamilton will have to overcome the Charles Leclerc hurdle. Ferrari’s ‘golden boy’, now 27 years old, has long been tipped as the team’s messiah — someone who would bring title glory back to Maranello. Hamilton, however, would want to change that narrative, and make Ferrari’s next title his own.
