Mercedes has announced the departure of Lewis Hamilton after the end of the 2024 F1 season, thereby ending a long partnership.
It seemed unthinkable at this stage of his career but Hamilton has decided to move away from Mercedes after the 2024 F1 season. Having joined the team in 2013 on the onset of the hybrid era, the Brit will leave just after spending a decade with them.
In this period, he won six titles to make it seven in his career, while he almost had eighth too. A long storied stint with Mercedes will end after cutting short on his two-year contract which he signed last year after much deliberation with Toto Wolff.
He was to continue with Mercedes until the 2025 F1 season, but instead he will leave after 2024 and is set to join Ferrari at the expense of Carlos Sainz, partnering Charles Leclerc next year. It is a big time move to the Italian manufacturer after 17 years with Mercedes.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together,” said Hamilton. “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.”
At the same time, Toto Wolff added: “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.”
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