Lewis Hamilton OFFICIALLY moves F1 teams as new era begins

Hamilton, Ferrari, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Hamilton OFFICIALLY moves teams as new F1 era begins

Lewis Hamilton will debut with Ferrari in 2025

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 1 January 2025 20:00 Updated: 20:06

Lewis Hamilton has officially become a Ferrari driver, as the clock ticked past midnight to usher in the new year.

The seven-time world champion has raced his last for Mercedes, finishing up 12 years with the Silver Arrows at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Hamilton set to ditch key partner

Article continues under video

Hamilton enjoyed a series of farewell tributes from the team where he won six of his world titles, including outings in his old Mercedes cars and emotional messages from team principal Toto Wolff.

However, his final few seasons with the team often left the champion frustrated, where he was unable to find pace in the car and only claimed two race wins in the past three years.

Lewis Hamilton has officially left Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed several tributes with Toto Wolff

Hamilton Ferrari switch confirmed

Now, the wait is finally over with Hamilton’s move to Ferrari officially confirmed by F1 in a statement released on Instagram for New Years.

F1 posted a picture of Hamilton to their social media bathed in a red light, with the simple statement of the date ‘0:00 UTC, January 1, 2025’ and the phrase ‘Lewis Hamilton is a Scuderia Ferrari driver’.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1)

Hamilton will debut in his first race with the Scuderia at the Australian Grand Prix in March, but fans will certainly glimpse the champion in red before then.

Ferrari have confirmed that February 19th will be the debut date for their 2025 challenger, but team principal Fred Vasseur has teased an earlier appearance for Hamilton.

According to the Frenchman, we could see Hamilton test drive the Ferrari in January, weather permitting, around their private track Fiorano.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes F1 Toto Wolff Abu Dhabi Grand Prix