Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025? What a shot in the arm for Formula 1.
The sensational move will trigger a wave of questions and the ripple effect will cause a figurative tsunami through this season and the next.
Let’s consider a few of those big questions while the news is still white hot.
First, why is he doing it? Hamilton turned 39 on 7 January and, while Fernando Alonso is proof of how racing drivers can stay competitive well into their 40s, the seven-time champion knows he only has a finite time to make that number a record-breaking eight.
The decision is clearly a vote of no confidence in Mercedes-AMG giving Hamilton the car he needs to become a champion again.
There are no guarantees Ferrari can either, of course. But it seems he has weighed up his best chance – and stuck all his chips on red.
A switch to Red Bull? Impossible. Yes, it has the quickest car, but pairing Hamilton with Max Verstappen is a non-starter for all parties. There's too much history, too much tension, too much potential for severe headaches and angst to make that a realistic prospect.
No, it was always Mercedes – or what’s still the most famous racing team of them all.
What’s convinced him? Ferrari just lost out to Mercedes by three points last season to be the distant best-of-the-rest behind Red Bull last term but had a marginally better season.
Charles Leclerc’s five pole positions in the SF-23 highlighted how one-lap pace isn’t a problem, while Carlos Sainz Jr became the only driver not in a Red Bull to win a grand prix in 2023 when he triumphed in fine style in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Mercedes' form swung wildly from one weekend to the next, even as late as the penultimate race in Brazil, where the team expected to be competitive only to fall flat. F1 teams don’t like surprises, and Mercedes continued to have too many last season.
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