Lewis Hamilton’s stunning move from Mercedes to Ferrari has shocked the world of F1 and there will be consequences across the paddock, including for Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton’s stunning move to Ferrari is having a knock-on effect throughout the F1 paddock, with one billionaire owner set to be counting the cost of the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes departure. The 39-year-old and Mercedes announced on Thursday they will part ways at the end of the 2024 season, allowing Hamilton to fulfill his boyhood dream of driving for Ferrari.
The dominos have started to fall as a result of the bombshell move, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz announcing he will make way for Hamilton at the end of the season and announce his next move in due course. And according to reports in Spain, Fernando Alonso could also be on the move, with the two-time world champion intrigued
The dominos have started to fall as a result of the bombshell move, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz announcing he will make way for Hamilton at the end of the season and announce his next move in due course. And according to reports in Spain, Fernando Alonso could also be on the move, with the two-time world champion intrigued by the upcoming vacancy at Mercedes.
The Aston Martin driver, 42, is widely regarded as one of the most gifted drivers on the grid, but he has lacked the pace in his car to compete with Max Verstappen and Red Bull on a regular basis since joining the team ahead of the 2023 campaign.
But he did finish in an impressive fourth place in the drivers’ standings at the end of the season thanks to eight podium finishes, significantly outperforming Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll. The team is owned by Stroll’s billionaire father, Lawrence, and Spanish F1 insider Antonio Lobato says Hamilton’s departure from the Silver Arrows will cost the Canadian in the pocket
Although he now puts Aston Martin first, if he sees that the project can give him a title in the short term, it cannot be ruled out. Starting today, it will cost Lawrence Stroll more money to renew Fernando.”
Hamilton has won six of his seven world titles driving for Mercedes, but the team has struggled since the heart-breaking conclusion to the 2021 season, when he lost the championship to Verstappen on the final lap of the last race due to a highly controversial decision under a late safety car by former race director Michael Masi.
Significant new design regulations were introduced the following season and Mercedes badly misjudged its concept and it is still playing catch-up, with Red Bull and Verstappen cruising to a third-straight title last year, with Hamilton failing to win a race in 2022 or 2023. He will be behind the wheel of the W15 for his final season with the team, but he is looking forward to a fresh start with Ferrari.
“Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old,” Hamilton said in a statement on Thursday. “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.
