Nobody expected that
Lewis Hamilton is set to make a shock switch to Ferrari, with news of his future set to be announced imminently.
As revealed by the Daily Mail, talks are ongoing between Mercedes and the 39-year-old and could be concluded by the end of the week in one of Formula One’s biggest stories.
The seven-time world champion has struggled in his last two seasons, with rivals Red Bull comfortably winning and Ferrari have reportedly managed to convince Hamilton that he stands a better chance of winning with them.
It’s been two years since the Brit won a race – a far cry since his world title successes in 2014 and 2015, then four consecutive wins between 2017 and 2020.
Hamilton’s bombshell comes a year after Hamilton denied the chance to have talks with the Italian company over a £40m-a-year-deal, instead choosing to sign a new contract with Mercedes.
He had signed a multi-year £100m deal to stay with Mercedes for 2024 and 2025, but it now appears an ‘escape clause’ was inserted into the contract.
This would enable Hamilton to move to Ferrari for the 2025 season and go in search of an eighth World Championship title.
It’s unclear as to who in Ferrari would step aside but the most likely scenario would see Carlos Sainz step aside and Hamilton line up alongside Charles Leclerc as a star-studded duo to take on Red Bull.
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