The 2024 F1 silly season seemed uneventful until reports of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari flooded the internet. F1 fans were dealing with the inevitable news of Charles Leclerc extending his contract, and the heartbreaking news of Andretti’s entry being rejected. However, Hamilton‘s transfer to Ferrari eclipsed everything and now Martin Brundle thanks the Briton for making life exciting.
Earlier, the former F1 driver shared his disappointment as Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and George Russell all signed up with their teams for longer terms. This made everything a static affair. Hamilton, however, changes everything.
Speaking about this, Brundle said during Sky Sports’ coverage of the Hamilton saga,
“They all looked a little bit static, to be honest. The championships quite matured in terms of the venue. Now we need some stories. The Andrettis didn’t get the entry, so this [Hamilton’s transfer news] is just what we needed to energize it.”
Lewis Hamilton set to join Ferrari from Mercedes in shock contract decision pic.twitter.com/u3tVooMY5y
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 1, 2024
Before Hamilton’s sudden announcement, every team had their driver line-up set for 2024 and it didn’t look like that would change the following campaign. As a result, even if there were any movements, surely the teams could wait until 2025? Ferrari and Hamilton had other ideas.
The British driver’s transfer saga totally eclipsed every other F1 news. Therefore, Hamilton once again proved that he is the ultimate man when it comes to business in F1. As the reports got stronger, all parties including Ferrari, Mercedes, and Formula 1 confirmed the news with Wolff addressing the Mercedes staff about Hamilton’s exit at the end of 2024.
How did Lewis Hamilton’s transfer saga come as a shock for everyone?
Lewis Hamilton’s sudden decision to move to the Prancing Horse raised multiple eyebrows. This has come just five months after he agreed to extend his Mercedes contract till 2025. Still, he activated his release clause, deciding to switch to Maranello in 2025.
Hamilton also saw himself linked with Ferrari with a $50 million move in 2023. Back then, the vast majority of the F1 community thought it was false, and the rumors were put to rest when Hamilton signed the deal. Now, all of it turns out to be true.
According to popular belief, the reason for the sudden switch is because of the poor form of Mercedes in the last few years. Mercedes’ failure to provide a race winning car, and Ferrari convincing him of a better project certainly contributed to this shocking move.
Ferrari was the second-most successful team in 2022, and the following year, were the only non-Red Bull team to win a race.
On the other hand, Ferrari’s driver pairing could also prove to be a cause of concern. This is simply because both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both want to b world champions. How Vasseur handles this, is yet to be seen.
