Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has officially announced they will part ways with Lewis Hamilton at the end of the 2024 season after he triggered a release option in his contract.
The F1 team posted the announcement on their website and social media handles following rumours of his imminent move to fierce competitor Ferrari.
“Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team will part ways with Lewis Hamilton at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last year,” the F1 team’s post read.
“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride,”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
The news brings an end to what is currently a 17-year-long relationship in F1 with Mercedes-Benz.
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“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. 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,
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last year.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 1, 2024
“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.” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is said to be on the brink of a dramatic switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season, with an official announcement also anticipated imminently.
While the ink on a final contract is yet to dry, sources indicate that negotiations are in advanced stages and could reach a resolution by week’s end.
“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; 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,
“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 racing to deliver a strong 2024.” Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, commented.
Ferrari has long coveted Hamilton’s talents, but previous attempts to secure his services were rebuffed as the seven-time champion perceived Mercedes as the more promising path to success.
However, amidst two challenging seasons for Mercedes, it seems Ferrari has made substantial progress in convincing Hamilton that it holds a more promising future for him.
Despite Hamilton signing a multi-year deal with Mercedes covering 2024 and 2025 last year, his contract has provided him an escape route to join Ferrari in 2025.
