Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, according to widespread reports.
Hamilton has failed to win a race and has cut a frustrated figure throughout the last two campaigns, with Mercedes battling reliability issues with their W13 and W14 cars.
The seven-time world champion was linked with moves to both Red Bull and Ferrari last year, only to sign a new two-year deal with Mercedes last August.
However, on Thursday widespread reports claimed that deal has a break clause after the 2024 campaign, and Hamilton is now set to partner Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season.
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In 2019, Ferrari admitted to holding talks with the then-world champion about the prospect of him joining them in the future.
Last November, meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed Hamilton’s representatives had approached both Red Bull and Ferrari about a prospective move, though the Mercedes driver refuted those suggestions.
We’ve missed hearing this sound on track! 🫶 🔊 PIC.TWITTER.COM/XIMWJ2F2KL
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) FEBRUARY 1, 2024
However, Sky Sports have now reported a deal is in place for Hamilton to join the Scuderia from the 2025 season onwards, with the BBC claiming an official announcement could be made as early as Thursday.
Hamilton looks set to take the seat currently held by Carlos Sainz, whose deal with the team expires at the end of the upcoming 2024 season.
Leclerc signed a new contract with Ferrari to run beyond the end of 2024 last week, but reports had suggested little progress had been made in talks with Sainz.
Ferrari were edged out by Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ standings in a disappointing 2023 season, with Leclerc placing fifth in the drivers’ championship and Sainz languishing in seventh.
