On Thursday afternoon, the BBC reported, citing its own sources, Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff and Technical Director James Allison summoned all team members to a briefing. It is assumed that the meeting was about Hamilton’s farewell.
The cockpit for the Brit will be available at Ferrari in 2025, when Carlos Sainz’s working paper expires. The Spaniard didn’t get the extension he was hoping for, but last week the Scuderia extended Charles Leclerc’s contract “for several years.” The Monegasque is a Ferrari pupil and has so far been the face of the Scuderia.
Next year they will have a real champion again – a record world champion in fact. The other – Michael Schumacher – shaped an era for the Italians from 1996 to 2006. After a temporary end to his career, he drove for Mercedes for three years from 2010 and his work there laid the foundation for Hamilton’s later successes.
The Brit, who became world champion for the first time in 2008 with McLaren and a Mercedes engine in the rear, won six more titles in the Silver Arrow between 2014 and 2020. Since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021, however, Hamilton has not achieved a Grand Prix victory. The dry spell at Ferrari is even longer; the proud team has been waiting for the title in the Drivers’ World Championship since 2007. Nevertheless, Hamilton was repeatedly linked to Maranello. The last time the romance seemed really intense was in May 2023. Ferrari supervisory board chairman John Elkann is said to have sought contact with Hamilton at the time, but he publicly emphasized: “I see myself at Mercedes until my last days, if I’m honest.”
Hamilton has now changed his mind; at the age of 39, he too wants to sit in the red racing car. This will probably cause some movement on the driver market, but the vacant position at Mercedes next to George Russell will be difficult to adequately fill: the other top drivers such as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) have long-term contracts with them teams. As things stand, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) would be available – at 42 years old, the two-time world champion is the oldest driver in the premier class.