Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season and will compete with the Ferrari Formula 1 team from next year.
“It’s been a wonderful eleven years with the team, I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13, the place where I grew up, so deciding to leave is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. At the same time, this is the right time for me to take this step and I look forward to new challenges,” the Mercedes website quoted the seven-time world champion British driver as saying on Thursday that he would do everything to deliver a truly memorable performance in their last year together.
Ferrari also reported on Thursday in a one-sentence statement on its website that Hamilton is bound by a multi-year contract with the team from 2025. In August last year, Mercedes extended the contract of the 39-year-old Hamilton and the other driver, also British George Russell, until 2025.
