Lewis Hamilton admitted it was the “hardest decision” to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari from the 2025 seasonGetty Images
F1 driver Lewis Hamilton said that he will “continue to push for more diversity within Formula 1” when he moves to Ferrari next year, according to the AP. Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1, said Friday at preseason testing that he was "proud of the legacy he would leave with Mercedes after he and the team developed diversity initiatives together,” and that it “would be a priority in his work with Ferrari.” Hamilton said Ferrari has a "lot of work to do," so he has "already made that a priority in speaking with (Ferrari executive chairman) John (Elkann) and they’re super excited to get on and work on it also.” During his time at Mercedes, Hamilton set up a commission to investigate “ways to improve diversity in the motorsports industry and in the STEM subjects.” Hamilton and Mercedes also jointly created the Ignite partnership, which “provides financial grants to organizations which promote diversity and inclusivity in motorsports and STEM” (AP, 2/23).
A HARD CHOICE: In London, Sonia Twigg noted Hamilton admitted it was the “hardest decision” to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari from the 2025 season. In an interview on the BBC’s “Chequered Flag F1” podcast, Hamilton said the decision “happened very fast.” Hamilton: “The opportunity just popped up and I was like ‘Ok I’ve got to think for a second’ and I didn’t have a lot of time to think, I just had to go with my gut feeling and I decided to take the opportunity” (London INDEPENDENT, 2/25). Hamilton said that he was "ready for a new chapter in his career” but “achieving success at Ferrari is going to be ‘a huge challenge.’” He added that he was “committed when he signed his latest Mercedes deal but the allure of trying to bring success to Ferrari" was "too strong.” Hamilton said that Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur was “central to finalizing the deal” as Vasseur ran Hamilton with his ART team in his junior career (RACER.com, 2/23).
