Lewis Hamilton shocked the racing world on Thursday by announcing that he will leave Mercedes for Ferrari after his current contract ends this year.
After joining Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton enjoyed great success for years until he was dethroned by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and he has yet to taste glory in F1 since 2021.
However, the seven-time world champion is still one of the best in business and a move to Ferrari was no less than a shock to racing enthusiasts.
Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes in 2023 amid speculations about his future but as his move to Ferrari has been confirmed, it seems that one year was optional.
But why did Hamilton decide to quit Mercedes after almost 11 years? According to RacingNews365, the departure of engineer Loic Serra was key in the Briton’s decision to switch for the 2025 season.
Serra was signed by Ferrari for the 2025 seasons after spending years with Mercedes during their championship-winning seasons.
Multiple outlets reported that Serra even had uncomfortable conversations with the Mercedes technical team during 2023 regarding the direction of some projects.
Hamilton, who was aligned with the French engineer on that, even went public to express his concerns about the car saying he has been driving for many years and knows what a car needs or doesn’t.
"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car," Hamilton said during the 2023 season. "I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need.
"And I think it's really about accountability, it's about owning up and saying 'yeah, you know what, we didn't listen to you, it's not where it needs to be and we've got to work’.”
As per the report, it seems that Hamilton anticipated what Mercedes has in store for him for the 2025 season and decided to make a tough decision.
