Toto Wolff recently extended his contract with Mercedes until the end of 2026. One of the biggest motivations behind this new deal was to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton. But now, it looks like Hamilton is done with Mercedes, the team that brought him 6 of his 7 world titles to embrace a new partnership, possibly with Ferrari. Despite having renewed his contract with Mercedes for two years in 2023, speculations about a potential partnership with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari are gaining momentum.

If the recent reports are to be taken at face value, they explain why Ferrari hasn’t signed an extension with Carlos Sainz yet. They are busy getting a contract ready for the 38-year-old. The Scuderia has been keen on securing Hamilton’s services for a while now, but the seven-time champion had previously turned down their advances in favor of Mercedes. However, recent challenges for Mercedes seem to have shifted Hamilton’s perspective, making him consider Ferrari as a potentially better choice for his future endeavors.

F1 Insider says Lewis Hamilton going to Ferrari is understandable

Cracks started to appear between Hamilton and Mercedes at the start of the 2023 season when the 7-time world champion clearly voiced his frustration about sticking with the zero-pod design philosophy for the W14 despite him cautioning the team against it. Although Mercedes is finally embracing a new concept, experts believe that since the team has lost 2 years of crucial development time in the right direction, they are too far behind in the bid to catch up with Red Bull.

And for Lewis Hamilton, who’s aiming to get the record-breaking 8th driver’s title, he knows that he doesn’t have a lot of time left to achieve it. The only logical move is to go to a team that is the closest to beating Red Bull at the moment. And right now, that team is Ferrari. Despite having lost to Mercedes in the constructors’ championship in 2023, Ferrari has shown that they have the raw speed to challenge Red Bull consistently, they just need to iron out a few issues to become true title challengers.

According to a recent tweet from Janne Blomqvist, an F1 commentator for the Viaplay Group, Lewis Hamilton will more than likely move to Ferrari and Ferrari will have to manage the whole situation, with Leclerc being their preferred star for the future. He wrote, “That Hamilton wants to go there I can understand.. legendary team and he is kind of finished with Mercedes.”

READ MORE: “Don’t Feel the Desire to Remain Active in F1”: Lewis Hamilton Makes Big Retirement Statement While Addressing 8th Title Hopes

It would be a big blow for Mercedes if Lewis Hamilton left the team before they could catch up to Red Bull. But do they even have a replacement ready for such a scenario?

Mercedes likely to turn toward Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025

Mercedes has an up-and-coming young talent just waiting to burst into the F1 scene. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the crown jewel of the Mercedes junior driver program, is set to make his Formula 2 debut this year, bypassing Formula 3 altogether. Having showcased impressive performances in karting and at the F4 level, he has quickly risen through the racing ranks. Toto Wolff previously acknowledged that they wanted Kimi to get sufficient experience in F2 before making the eventual switch to F1. However, Mercedes might not have the luxury to wait that long.

Although Kimi Antonelli is not of age to drive in F1 as of yet, by 2025, when Hamilton is supposed to switch to Ferrari, the Italian driver will turn 18 and will be fit to join F1. After all, he already has enough super license points to drive in F1 if he was 18.

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