Ferrari change shocks Formula 1
“Does Hamilton need to play the red clown?”
February 2, 2024, 7:49 a.m
What started as speculation became certainty within hours: Lewis Hamilton, the most important Formula 1 driver of today, is moving from Mercedes to Ferrari. From 2025, the record world champion will drive in the legendary red car and will now be driving his last season for the Silver Arrows. The news sent the motorsport world into shock, turmoil and ecstasy.
Great Britain
“Daily Mail”: “The move will give the Briton one last chance to win his eighth world title.”
“The Times”: “The fact that he had not yet driven this year’s W15 car on track before deciding to move to Ferrari next year is devastating for Mercedes – a team already under huge pressure – and Toto Wolff, the Team leader.”
“The Telegraph”: “Lewis desperately wants the eighth title that was so cruelly snatched from him in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Had he felt that Mercedes would have been in a better position to give him that (…), there is no doubt that he would would stay. He was betting that Ferrari was the better choice.”
“The Independent“: “It is the most gigantic of all shocks. (…) Maybe it even overshadows Michael Schumacher’s move from Benetton to Ferrari in 1995. Now, of course, Hamilton enters the house that Schumacher built at the turn of the century and so confidently made his own. And it is the record he shares with the German – seven world championship titles – that led him to take an incredible risk at the end of his career.”
“The Guardian”: “Hamilton no longer has anything to prove as he is already the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time. But if he wins the championship at Ferrari, the deal (…) will be remembered as the moment he did that the last chapter of his great legacy in Formula 1.”
“Mirror”: “Formula 1 seems to have stolen the show from football on Deadline Day. Certainly no transfer in the football world will be as big as the news that Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes.”
Italy
“La Republic”: “The man of records in Formula 1 history is coming to return to the top. If Ferrari has bet big on Lewis Hamilton, even though he will be 40 years old in 2025, then the Reds have an absolute talent on two wheels to entrust.”
“Corriere dello Sport”: “After hours of rumors that made the hearts of Ferrari fans beat faster, the official announcement has now arrived, first from Mercedes and then from the horse. Lewis Hamilton will move to Maranello from 2025.”
“Gazzetta dello Sport”: “The seven-time world champion will be at the wheel of the Reds from next season. It is the official confirmation of the earthquake that occurred during the day, one of the most sensational blows to the Formula 1 driver market.”
“Corriere della Sera”: “Lewis Hamilton will be a Ferrari driver in 2025. The British champion will join the team from the 2025 season on a multi-year contract. Two lines that will make racing and sporting history, come what may.”
“Tuttosport”: “Now it’s official: Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and drive for Ferrari from 2025. The announcement came from the Italian team, which confirmed the news that shocked the motorsport world with a statement.”
“The Giornale”: “With the first day of February, the F1 driver market went up in flames. Exactly seven days after announcing Charles Leclerc’s multi-year contract extension, Ferrari announced that Hamilton will sign with Scuderia next year, replacing Carlos Sainz, whose contract expires at the end of the World Cup.”
France
“Le Monde”: “Earthquake in Formula 1.”
“RMC Sport”: “The transfer of the century: Hamilton will leave Mercedes and drive for Ferrari in 2025. The end of an era.”
“L’Equipe”: “February 1, 2024 will be remembered in Formula 1 history as the day Ferrari bought a seven-time world champion who it is hoped will one day be an eight-time champion, beating the legend Michael Schumacher .”
Spain
“World Sports”: “A surprise for everyone for many reasons. The signature of the century in Formula 1.”
“Ace”: “The announcement is short but historic: ‘Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will drive for the team from 2025 and has a multi-year contract’. (…) A bang, an earthquake on the driver market, in where Hamilton is once again the focus.”
“Marca”: “The bomb of the century in Formula 1 triggers endless reactions.”
“El Pais”: “In a maneuver that will undoubtedly be written in the brightest colors in the books of Formula 1 history, Ferrari tied the knot with Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver of all time.”
“La Vanguardia”: “A tectonic plate shift at Ferrari and Mercedes has triggered the biggest earthquake in Formula 1 for a long time.”
Netherlands
“AD”: “The new Formula 1 season hasn’t started yet, but the first mega-hit is already a fact. Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes after this year and going to Ferrari.”
USA
USA Today: “Breathtaking move: Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and drive for Ferrari in 2025.”
“ESPN”: “Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari redefines everything we have thought about the coming seasons in Formula 1. In a year’s time, the sport’s best-known and most successful driver will be driving for the most historic and famous team. His contract will likely be the most lucrative be in Formula 1 history.”
Switzerland
“View”: “Does Hamilton, without a win for two years, really need to get gold plated again and play the red clown?”