F1 legend Lewis Hamilton 'held secret meetings' with Ferrari staff before HUGE move

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Hamilton 'held secret meetings' with Ferrari staff before HUGE move

Lewis Hamilton is officially a Ferrari driver

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 3 January 2025 23:00

Italian media has claimed that Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton has held 'secret meetings' with Ferrari staff before his blockbuster move.

The seven-time world champion has left Mercedes after a dozen years, ending a partnership which brought six drivers' titles and more than 80 race wins.

READ MORE: Hamilton set to ditch key partner

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The Brit had to race the 2024 season with Mercedes having already signed with Ferrari for 2025, often adopting a rather downbeat attitude while suffering one of his worst ever seasons.

Hamilton finished seventh in the drivers' championship, behind team-mate George Russell, but did manage to banish his almost three-year win drought, picking up victories at Silverstone and Spa.

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The Maranello outfit came within just 11 points of winning their first championship title since 2008, which will offer Hamilton some hope that he can once again challenge for a so far elusive eighth drivers' title before he retires.

Mercedes' team members have spent the last few weeks offering stunning farewell tributes to Hamilton via podcasts, social media posts and an in-person visit for the champion to the Brackley headquarters.

The celebration of a highly-successful 12-season spell, which is the most successful driver-team combination of all-time, also coincided with a delay in Hamilton's Ferrari debut, with the champion missing the post-season Abu Dhabi test.

Hamilton is now likely to make his debut at some point in January according to team principal Fred Vasseur, who said that the team would be making use of the Testing of Previous Cars programme (TPC).

However, it now appears that the seven-time champion has already made an effort to try and connect with his new colleagues. According to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Hamilton held ‘secret meetings’ with Ferrari engineers prior to his departure from Mercedes.

They also report that the 39-year-old has begun learning Italian so that he can more easily communicate with team members in Maranello.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1 George Russell Maranello