New Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Contract Clause Emerges as Staggering Pay Revealed

A new clause contained within Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari contract has reportedly emerged - and it could have a major impact on his Formula 1 future.

Hamilton finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship in his debut season with Ferrari, though often was unable to match team-mate Charles Leclerc in qualifying and in races.

He did pick up the Scuderia's sole victory of 2025 - in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race - but both Hamilton and Leclerc struggled to compete against McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Their struggles largely related to an issue with the floor that was identified during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with the Ferrari car running too close to the track surface and therefore risking potential disqualifications for excessive plank wear.

Ferrari attempted to rectify the problem, but the fundamental design of the car meant that Leclerc and Hamilton had to lift-and-coast during races to protect the plank, slowing them down further.

Both drivers were critical of the car's performance throughout the season, with Ferrari arguably the ninth-slowest car on the grid at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar - though that weekend's particular lack of pace was put down to mandated tyre pressure changes enforced by the FIA, team principal Frederic Vasseur said.

There has been speculation over Hamilton's future at Ferrari as the 40-year-old prepares to enter his second season with the team.

The seven-time champion has indicated he will make changes to his inner circle ahead of 2026, when Ferrari will hope to have a car capable of challenging for the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.

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In an interview with Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, Vasseur said Ferrari are 'evaluating all options' over who will serve as Hamilton's race engineer next season.

The 2026 season has long been believed to have been the second of a multi-year contract that Hamilton signed ahead of 2025.

It has been claimed that the Brit has an optional extension for 2027 that he can trigger.

However, German outlet Bild claim that 2026 is in fact the second of a guaranteed three-year deal with the Italian team, with the optional extension carrying over to 2028.

Should Hamilton see out his entire contract, in that case, he would be 43 years of age at the end of the 2028 season.

It is added that the seven-time champion reportedly earned over £48 million from his Ferrari contract in 2025, and that he still retains full support of Vasseur - who was his team principal at ART Grand Prix in GP2 - heading into his second campaign.

The report suggests that Elkann 'still needs convincing' over Hamilton - though it is unclear how accurate that is given that the Italian was personally involved in signing the 40-year-old in the first place and has repeatedly spoken highly about him.

Though F1 drivers at the beginning of the sport in the 1950s and 1960s regularly competed when they were over 50, the landscape of the sport has changed significantly since then and drivers racing at over 40 years old have become increasingly rare.

Fernando Alonso, at 44, is the oldest driver on the grid, with Hamilton - who turns 41 in January - the only other driver aged over 40.