Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1, Mercedes, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc
Tom Jenkins
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1, Mercedes, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton has rocked the world of Formula 1 this morning as the 7-time World Champion looks set to leave Mercedes and sign for Scuderia Ferrari for the 2025 season.
Hamilton has been at Mercedes since his controversial move from McLaren in 2013 and has enjoyed an extremely successful spell at the German team, winning six World Driver Championships.
However, the British driver hasn't been World Champion since 2020, as Dutch sensation Max Verstappen has taken over the role as the man to beat in the sport since their controversial face-off in 2021 at Abu Dhabi.
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Since the regulations changed in 2022 Mercedes fell significantly behind their rivals Red Bull and were jumped by Ferrari in the constructor standings who have made great strides in car development.
Ferrari were the only other team to win a race ahead of Red Bull last season with a victory in Singapore with Carlos Sainz.
Despite the Spaniard's victory, it appears he will be the driver losing his seat at the Scuderia, as golden boy Charles Leclerc recently signed a long-term deal.
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This isn't the first time Ferrari have been interested in Hamilton, as they actually wanted to secure the 39-year-old's services for this coming season, but missed out despite offering him a huge contract.
According to Mail Sport, the Italian team offered Hamilton a £40 million deal to secure the superstar's signature last year but were snubbed in favour of a new contract at Mercedes.
Discussions regarding the extravagant signing have been progressing for some time within Ferrari, and company president John Elkann has reportedly been in direct communication with Hamilton for over a year.
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Hamilton's current contract at Mercedes is reportedly worth an estimated £50m per year which is on par with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, so Ferrari may have had to significantly increase their previous offer in order to secure the deal.
The Mercedes contract extension was only signed in August 2023.
Following the now seemingly irrelevant extension, Hamilton said: "We dream every day of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal."