THE RISKS IN LEWIS HAMILTON’S FERRARI F1 MOVE

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 is the most significant Formula One driver market shift since Hamilton himself chose to leave McLaren and come to Mercedes. That choice occurred in late 2012, before to his Formula One debut with the Silver Arrows the following year.

The decision to go to Ferrari took longer, but it outperformed the previous one, as well as Sebastian Vettel’s moves into and out of the Scuderia over the last decade and change.

Its only surprising opponent is Fernando Alonso’s Alpine-to-Aston Martin move. And, apologies to Tazio Nuvolari and Auto Union fans, but there’s a strong case to be made that this is the largest motorsport driver move in history.

Ferrari remains F1’s most iconic and successful team, and Hamilton has surpassed the championship’s driver fame stakes. This is especially true for current champion Max Verstappen, who prefers to stay out of the public eye.

The connections between this news and Hamilton’s departure from McLaren are evident. Then, one year into his career at Mercedes, the V6 turbo hybrid era arrived, bringing with it all of the success.

Although the major rule reset of 2022 still feels fresh, the 2026 regulation revisions – particularly with the increased emphasis on electrical power and sustainable fuel in engines – are no longer on the horizon now that 2024 has started.