It has been 10 full months after F1 legend Lewis Hamilton announced his transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari starting in 2025. The announcement in some respects was expected given Mercedes’ recent struggles to provide Hamilton with a quality racing car, which cost him two winless seasons in 2022 and 2023. It was a shocker nonetheless considering Hamilton’s history with the Brackley outfit and his close friendship with team principal Toto Wolff.
Over the past few days, Wolff and his Ferrari counterpart, Fred Vasseur, shed more light on Hamilton’s big transfer—including his motivation and Wolff’s decision to just let his prized driver leave.
Let Him Go . . .
Wolff recently admitted in the podcast High Performance that he didn’t ask Hamilton to reconsider his decision to leave Mercedes, which he had called home in the past 11 years. According to the Mercedes team principal, he simply followed the advice he got from another close friend, legendary football manager Pep Guardiola: “…if somebody thinks he can play better elsewhere or earn more, you’ve just got to let them go.”
“It is something I embrace in the same way here if somebody wants to go, then let’s make it as good as possible for each of the parties, so it then becomes about what happens next,” Wolff explained.
This mentality, Wolff added, helped him identify Hamilton’s replacement—F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli—almost instantaneously. However, he had to ensure his instinct was the right choice for Mercedes. Elaborating on the steps that followed to sign the young Italian driver, Wolff said:
“All About Winning and Nothing Else“
For his part, Vasseur revealed that Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is motivated by the seven-time champion’s desire to win again, especially after a two-year drought in which he failed to win even a race. Hamilton, in particular, wants a chance to win an eighth F1 World Championship—something that seems unlikely if he stays with the struggling Mercedes team.
Ferrari, in contrast, has been on an upswing and has been consistently among the top performers this season. In fact, it is currently second to McLaren Mercedes in the race for the Constructor’s Title and is firmly in contention to win it all thanks to its five total wins and 18 podium finishes. Mercedes, meanwhile, is at a distant fourth.
Wolff himself believes that an eighth world title is at play for Hamilton “if Ferrari is able to give Lewis a competitive car.” And, according to the Mercedes boss, he will always have a personal relationship with Hamilton, and he “will look back at the great times, professionally and personally.”
The two will have plenty to look back on professionally, as Hamilton won six of his F1 World Championships with Mercedes.
