In a shocking development, Lewis will be driving for Ferrari by 2025.
Silly season came way early in Formula 1.
In a shock development, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari.
Formula 1, Ferrari, and Mercedes all confirm the move in separate announcements.
With Mercedes, Hamilton won six of his world championships, including a dominant four-year run from 2017-2020.
Hamilton signed a two-year extension with Mercedes in 2023, but the second year now appears to have an option and Lewis activated his release option. He will drive for the Silver Arrows in the 2024 season, his last with the team.
"Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come," said Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff.
"We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024."
Hamilton added, "Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make."
"But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember," Lewis said in a statement.
Lewis won 82 Grand Prix as a Mercedes driver so far, with 77 pole positions.
And despite the struggles following the controversial finish to the 2021 season, last year’s campaign saw a strong bounce back for the British star, finishing third on the grid.
Hamilton is set to join Ferrari in 2025, pairing with Charles Leclerc with the Scuderia. This move also confirms that Carlos Sainz, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix last season, will race his final season with Ferrari.
"Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024," Sainz said in a statement.
"We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the Team and for the Tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course."
"We've still got one more season to give it together," Scuderia Ferrari responded.