Seven-time Formula one champion Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season. The development was confirmed in a statement by the constructor on Thursday.
Hamilton, whose 103 wins are the most in F1 history, has been with Mercedes since leaving McLaren in 2013. The Brit is headed to Ferrari for the 2025 season.
“Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last year,” the team’s official statement read.
“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024,” Mercedes chief Totto Wolff said.
Hamilton called the team the place where he grew up in a message of gratitude for the crew.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember,” he said.
Ferrari confirmed the news shortly after on social media platform X.
“Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” the statement read.
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