Lewis Hamilton has announced he will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season and move to Ferrari.
Hamilton, 39, is entering the first year of a new two-year deal with Mercedes, worth £100 million ($128m).
But the seven-time Formula One world champion has activated a release clause in the deal, and Ferrari announced he will join the Italian team on a multi-year contract starting in 2025.
Mercedes issued a statement on Thursday evening confirming Hamilton’s early exit, in the end of an extraordinarily successful partnership during which he won six of his world titles in seven years, from 2014-20.
Although they enjoyed incredible success, the team have since fallen off the pace and Hamilton has not won a race since controversially missing out on a record eighth world championship in 2021.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together," he said.
"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 (Wolff, Mercedes team principal) for his friendship and leadership, and I want to finish on a high together.
“I am 100 per cent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows one to remember.”
Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes - in pictures
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Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013. Reuters -
Hamilton during practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpar on March 22, 2013. Getty Images -
Hamilton celebrates after winning the World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 23, 2014. Getty Images -
Hamilton gestures to fans during the drivers' parade before the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Reuters -
Hamilton celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 10, 2016. Getty Images -
Hamilton in the garage at Yas Marina Circuit during practice for the 2017 Abu Dhabi GP. Getty Images -
Hamilton after qualifying for the Bahrain GP at Bahrain International Circuit on April 7, 2018. Getty Images -
Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix - alongside second-placed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen - at Jose Carlos Pace Circuit, Sao Paulo on November 14, 2021. Reuters -
Hamilton celebrates after winning the Chinese GP at Shanghai International Circuit on April 14, 2019. Getty Images -
Hamilton after winning the Turkish GP at Intercity Istanbul Park on November 15, 2020. Getty Image -
Hamilton celebrates on the podium with team principal Toto Wolff after winning the Turkish Grand Prix and the world championship on November 15, 2020. Reuters -
Hamilton before the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on April 10, 2022. Reuters -
Hamilton of Mercedes before the Australian GP at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 1, 2023. Getty Images -
Hamilton celebrates winning the F1 world title after the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Getty Images -
Right to left: Hamilton on the podium alongside Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto after the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Reuters -
Hamilton's Mercedes collides with Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing during the Italian GP at Monza. Getty Images -
Hamilton celebrates after winning the Bahrain GP in Sakhir on March 28, 2021. AP -
Hamilton after winning the 2021 Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo. AP -
Hamilton celebrates with his Mercedes teammates after winning the 2021 Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. Reuters -
Hamilton after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 10, 2016. Reuters
Wolff said Mercedes accepted Hamilton’s decision to leave.
“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," he said.
"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.”
After the Mercedes statement, Ferrari issued a one-line statement announcing Hamilton’s move.
“Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” it said.
Charles Leclerc recently agreed to a new long-term deal with Ferrari, so it will be Carlos Sainz who makes way for Hamilton, with the Spaniard’s contract expiring at the end of the 2024 season.
“Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024," Sainz said in a statement.
"We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world.
“News about my future will be announced in due course.”
Hamilton began his Formula One career with McLaren and won his first world title with them in 2008, before switching to Mercedes in 2013.
In terms of race wins, he is the most successful driver in the sport’s history with 103, 12 ahead of Michael Schumacher, with whom he shares the record for the most world titles.
