Behind the scenes of Formula 1 are boiling with a real bomb this Thursday (1st). According to sources told ESPN, Lewis Hamilton is close to agreeing on an exchange of Mercedes to the Ferrari em 2025.
Seven-time world champion and driver with the most victories in the category’s history, the Englishman signed what was believed to be a two-year contract extension with the German team, but reports indicate that the second season of the current agreement was planned as an option.
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Mercedes and Ferrari declined to comment when contacted for the report.
Although it has not been officially confirmed, sources told ESPN that the deal is practically closed, with Lewis Hamilton on his way to replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz at the Italian team, which has not won a World Championship for drivers since 2007, with Kimi Raikkonen.
Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, Ferrari legend, are tied in the Formula 1 title ranking, each with seven wins.
If he wins his 8th title, in addition to becoming the greatest champion in the history of the category, Lewis can do something very rare: win the world title with three different teams, something that only Juan Manuel Fangio has achieved.
A source told ESPN that Ferrari president John Elkann is determined to make a big-impact signing for the team.
Ferrari has had at least one world champion driver in the team since 1996, when Michael Schumacher arrived, until 2020, when Sebastian Vettel left.
In 2021, Sainz joined Charles Leclerc, who recently signed a lengthy extension that will keep him at Ferrari beyond 2026.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur worked with Hamilton in his junior career, helping guide the Briton to the GP2 (now Formula 2) title with the ART team in 2006, and probably also played a key role in the negotiations.
Ferrari is delaying a similar extension for Sainz, who will now emerge as a major name in the driver market.
Sainz was tipped to be a candidate for Audi’s next Formula 1 project, scheduled for 2026.
Hamilton’s departure will leave a huge void at Mercedes, which he joined in 2013.
He has won six drivers’ championships with the team, adding to his 2008 title with McLaren, and has been with the team for a record eight constructors’ championships between 2014 and 2021.