Lewis Hamilton currently holds the record for the most Grand Prix wins in Formula 1 history with 103 victories. He also holds the record for the most pole positions, with 104, and is tied with Michael Schumacher for the most driver’s championships, with seven. Scuderia Ferrari, on the other hand, has a total of 242 wins, 249 pole positions, and 16 constructor’s championships.
In 2025, Hamilton and Ferrari, two of the most successful and renowned names in single-seat racing, will be joining forces. Hamilton previously raced for McLaren for six seasons before moving to Mercedes over a decade ago. He has been with Mercedes for 11 years and will complete 12 years with the team by 2024. Until 2022, he had won at least one race in each season he competed in. Throughout his 17-year career, he has finished outside the top four in the driver’s championship only three times and has never finished worse than sixth. Hamilton will bring an impressive racing resume to Ferrari, a team that has not won a driver’s title since Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in 2007.
Ferrari has a history of signing high-profile drivers, although the success of these drivers has varied once they joined the team. Michael Schumacher had a successful stint at Ferrari, winning five of his seven championships with the team. Kimi Raikkonen also won a championship while driving for Ferrari, but he was eventually pushed out and spent the later years of his career as a second driver. Despite achieving numerous race wins, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were unable to secure a championship during their time at Ferrari.
The ultimate measure of success for a driver of Hamilton’s caliber will be whether he can win a championship with Ferrari. This would potentially be his eighth championship, but he still has one more year with Mercedes to try and win another title under Toto Wolff’s leadership.
Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes, triggered by a release clause in his recently signed contract extension, marks the end of a highly successful partnership. Mercedes now has a potential future leader in George Russell and an open second seat, which will undoubtedly be highly sought after in the world of auto racing. Available free agents include Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, and Carlos Sainz, who will soon be leaving Ferrari. It is also possible that Mercedes could make a surprising move by signing a driver who was thought to be under contract for 2025.
In a statement released by Mercedes, Hamilton said: “I’ve spent 11 incredible years with this team and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together. Mercedes has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s the place where I grew up, so making the decision to leave was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made. However, it’s time for me to move on and I’m very excited about this new challenge. I’ll always be grateful for the incredible support from my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership, and I want to finish well together. I’m 100% committed to giving my best performance.
