Formula One fans are in a frenzy after reports emerged on Thursday suggesting seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton could be making a shocking move from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025.
Sky Sports News, citing multiple senior sources within F1, claimed Hamilton would leave his longtime team after the current season and replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at the iconic Scuderia. ESPN, too, reported the move as “as good as done,” further fueling speculation.
While neither Mercedes nor Ferrari have officially commented on the rumors, the prospect of Hamilton joining the Italian powerhouse has sent shockwaves through the F1 world. Hamilton has been synonymous with Mercedes since 2013, winning six of his seven championships with the Silver Arrows. A move to Ferrari would mark a seismic shift in the driver market and potentially reshape the landscape of the sport.
Hamilton won six titles with Mercedes in seven years from 2014-20 and lost the 2021 championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race. He has not won a race since 2021 and remains stuck on a record 103 wins.
Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 from McLaren in what was also a surprise move at the time.
After dominating to 2020, Hamilton and Mercedes have been frustrated in the past two seasons. Mercedes won only one race in 2022 when the car suffered from a bouncing effect, known in F1 as porpoising. The team admitted getting the design wrong.
Hamilton’s teammate George Russell, in his debut season, won that 2022 race, and neither driver won a race last year.
Preseason F1 testing begins on Feb. 21 in Bahrain. Bahrain also hosts the first of a record 24 races on March 2, when Verstappen starts his bid for a fourth straight world championship.
