Reasons behind Lewis Hamilton's shock Ferrari move

Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari was announced on Thursday, February 2, 2024, after he activated a release option in his contract with Mercedes. He will partner Charles Leclerc, who has been with Ferrari since 2019 and has won four races so far. Hamilton said that leaving Mercedes was one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make, but he was excited to take on a new challenge and join one of the most iconic teams in motorsport. This is a very surprising and exciting development for Formula One, as Hamilton is one of the most successful and popular drivers in the history of the sport. He has won seven world championships, six of them with Mercedes, and holds the records for most wins, poles, podiums, and points in F1.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has been hailed as a major coup for F1, as it will create a lot of interest and excitement among fans and media. Many former F1 drivers, such as Jenson Button and Martin Brundle, have praised Hamilton for his courage and ambition to switch teams at this stage of his career. They also expect him to be very competitive and challenge for more titles with Ferrari, who have not won a constructors’ championship since 20083.

However, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari also comes with some risks and uncertainties. Ferrari have struggled to match Mercedes and Red Bull in recent years, and have not won a race since 2021. They have also undergone some major changes in their management and technical staff, and have faced some controversies and criticisms over their performance and strategy. Hamilton will have to adapt to a new car, a new team, and a new culture, and he will also face a strong teammate in Leclerc, who is regarded as one of the best young talents in F1.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is one of the biggest stories in F1 history, and it will have a huge impact on the sport and its fans. It will be fascinating to see how Hamilton performs in the famous red car, and how he compares to his rivals and his teammate. It will also be interesting to see who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes, and how the team will cope with his departure. The 2025 season promises to be one of the most thrilling and unpredictable one's ever, and I can’t wait to see it unfold.

But what are the reasons that fueled this shock move? In my opinion, there are four reasons that have made Lewis take this decision:

Mercedes direction of developing the car in the new era

Lewis did not agree with the direction in which Mercedes decided to develop the 2023 car, and was quite public about this. “I just don't feel connected to this car. No matter what I do, no matter what I change I can't get confidence back.” he declared of the beginning of the 2023 season. Speaking about the changes, he stated that it wasn't his decision to add wider sidepods: “We have had a lot of input as a team over the past year, those constant conversations of ‘why does that look like that and we look like this, have we tried that? We now have the wider sidepods more in the direction of Red Bull, and it’s not been my decision to go that way. It’s been clear since we dropped the car back on the ground in the first test, it’s been the identical twin to last year’s car, except for the bouncing. We have taken note of where we are and where we have gone wrong, so are slowly chipping away back to the front. It’s just a long process." Most probably, seeing that Mercedes struggles again with the development of the car, he decided that a move would be his best option.

The F1 driver who spent the most seasons with a team

The 2024 season is going to be the 12th season spent by Lewis at Mercedes. In the highly competitive world of Formula 1, any driver keeping his seat for more than a few years is an achievement. In his statement, following the shock announcement that he will change teams starting with the 2025 seasons he said: "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." Hamilton continued. "But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge." This statement proves that he has lost his motivation and needed a change.

Ferrari is a the biggest team in the F1 history. Lewis is one of the most successful and popular drivers in the history of the sport.

Lewis Hamilton is already a global brand, but the move to the biggest F1 team in history can only increase his stature in the sport. Winning with Ferrari, after so many successful seasons at McLaren and Mercedes, can only raise him further in the eyes of the fans. In the same time, both Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton represent global marketing machines, so the combination of the two could have huge impact with the public. 

Schumacher rivalry and the struggles to become the GOAT

Michael Schumacher became the greatest F1 driver in history by winning 5 WDC titles with a struggling Ferrari team. Lewis Hamilton lost his change to win the 8th WDC in 2021, at Abu Dhabi, after a very shady decision taken by the FIA. What greatest way for Lewis Hamilton to break Schumacher's record 7 WDC titles, than winning his 8th WDC title with Michael Schumacher's Scuderia Ferrari team?

Best paid F1 driver in history

Rumors suggest that Lewis might receive a 100 million euros salary at Ferrari. This would make him once again the best paid driver on the grid, overtaking Max Verstappen and also become the highest paid F1 driver in history!

What do you guys and girls think? What are the reasons for which Lewis Hamilton decided to move to Ferrari? Also, do you think he will win his 8th WDC while at Scuderia Ferrari?