Let's try to understand more about the background of one of the most fascinating stories of recent years, a market scenario already defined by many as the coup of the century, i.e. Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari from 2025. Who brought Lewis Hamilton to Maranello? What did Charles Leclerc know about all this Carlos Sainz and what turn will the 2024 season take for Mercedes and Ferrari with two drivers busy packing their bags?
The end, the official announcement of Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025
Let's start from the end, that is the announcement of Ferrari arrived on the Italian evening of February 1, 2024 in which the impossible has become possible. After a day of frenetic news, the confirmation arrives. Lewis Hamilton will officially be a Ferrari driver from 2025, a very important market coup. The press release follows that of Mercedes in which Hamilton's departure is announced at the end of the 2024 season. In the Mercedes press release, both Toto Wolff and Lewis talk about a new adventure, not mentioning Ferrari yet.
Lewis will arrive in 2025, on the threshold of 40 years and will take the place of Carlos Sainz, the reason is clear. Leclerc is fresh off his renewal, there were still uncertainties about Sainz. Despite the Spaniard's good performance, a seven-time world champion cannot be left hanging on the other end of the phone. Especially given his career and his age. Every year is fundamental and this was the last one to close the coup of the century, finally giving an answer to all those questions that such a meeting suggested. Questions asked in the past with Ayrton Senna, who would have gone to Ferrari if that cursed May 1st of 94 had never existed.
The call and the choice to change
Elkann knew he had only one more chance to give Lewis one last great dance, an opportunity to finally bring together those highly titled names, who in the imagination of the fans would never have been able to come together given the hatred towards the Classic Mercedes for sale and the natural rivalry between the two. So last spring, the president decided to call Lewis Hamilton. That call it will often be reported as news, the basis for a cover headline that newspapers have been waiting for for years. Ferrari wants him for 2024 but the initial response from Lewis and his team is a no. In fact, in the summer of 2023 he signed with Mercedes for a two-year deal with a 1+1 option.
The months pass and the picture becomes clearer, even for Lewis. Mercedes has a rather long recovery plan, no one can guarantee him a car to win his eighth world title, or at least to try to do so. His teammate is young, he can wait but can he really do it? To risk reaching 40 without any certainty, and with a career ending without fireworks. Thus comes yet another call from Elkann, now familiar with the Englishman, this time in winter. And things start to get serious. He explains to him the reality of the facts, that with Vasseur he is working on the development of the 2026 single-seater to return to being the leader and reiterates once again that he wants him at his side. AND this time there is no doubt that it holds. His heart and his desire to get involved do the rest. Ferrari scores the coup and brings Hamilton to Maranello.
Lewis' contract, as in the case of Mercedes, should be a two-year 1 + 1. In this case, as with Mercedes, he would have a loophole in case he didn't want to continue with the Maranello team.
But were Leclerc and Sainz warned in all this?
From what transpires Leclerc already knew everything before signing the multi-year contract. He accepted the challenge, yet another. In fact, Hamilton's arrival will necessarily lead to a hierarchy. But finding a 7-time world champion as a partner can be of help to him, and since 2026 starts from scratch there is a year in between in which to sharpen the knives and learn to know each other. As for Sainz, who finds himself in the uncomfortable position of being separated at home, he knew that things weren't going well. Negotiations for the renewal began weeks ago but Elkann's call and Lewis' availability made everything more difficult. They could have separated better, that's for sure, but the Spaniard's ambitions didn't fit with the new route taken by the team which has 2026 as a fixed date on the calendar.
In the meantime, both Lewis and Sainz will be engaged in a rather difficult transition year. They no longer have the pressure of having to prove something, but in Sainz's case there is more bitterness in the mouth because the choice was not entirely his. Could he put a spoke in Leclerc's wheels? Yes, but what matters most to the Spaniard is to show up and find a seat for 2025. Several contracts will expire in 2024, so it's not an impossible mission.
Ferrari with its mind on 2026
2026 is the year in which we will know whether the efforts of Vasseur and the presidency have borne fruit. With the regulatory change it is important to arrive with a superior Power Unit compared to the competition. Today, Vasseur, Elkann, have started to lay the foundations, with the engineers market, with the drivers market but the real challenge will be precisely in that season.
