F1 boss in Hamilton admission ahead of Ferrari switch

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted the phone call to Carlos Sainz announcing Lewis Hamilton would replace him at the team wasn’t easy to make.

In February, Hamilton shocked the F1 world by announcing he would leave Mercedes at the end of 2024 to join Ferrari for 2025 on a multi-year deal.

The seven-time world champion will partner Charles Leclerc, who signed an extension to his current Ferrari deal in January, keeping him at the Maranello-based team beyond 2024.

READ MORE: F1 drivers out of contract: Hamilton heads select group

Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari means Carlos Sainz will be a free agent for 2025, but at the time of writing, the Spaniard’s F1 future is still uncertain heading into 2024.

"As you can imagine, it was not the easiest call of my life,” admitted Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. “One of the most difficult, with the one with Toto [Wolff].

"We are sure that he will bring us a decent step for the future and it will be a good challenge for everybody.

“We want to be focused on 2024, and we don't want to have any kind of distraction. It's also why we made the announcement so early because it was important for us to be focused on 2024 for all of the season."

READ MORE: F1 Team Principals: Who are the men in charge in 2024?

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