The transfer of Lewis Hamilton should have been announced much later in the season
While rumors of Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari were becoming more and more credible throughout the day on Thursday, his confirmation even before the season has started has greatly surprised the world of F1.
The 2024 season hasn’t even started yet and Lewis Hamilton has already announced his departure from Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. Officially signed this week in early February, the announcement was only expected much later in the season.
Rumors of a signing between Ferrari and Hamilton emerged as soon as the contract was signed. Many stakeholders are involved in such a contract, both on the Mercedes and Ferrari side, and the whispers quickly spread to journalists’ close contacts and therefore to the media.
On Tuesday, journalists began to have serious leads about this signature. Gradually, several journalists from major F1 networks and former drivers in particular were able to confirm the rumors.
The two teams involved therefore did not have time to properly prepare to discuss this information, and by the time the rumor gained momentum, neither Ferrari, nor Mercedes, nor even Carlos Sainz Jr. (replaced by Lewis Hamilton) had prepared an official statement.
Thursday morning, Lewis Hamilton warned his manager, Toto Wolff, who was surprised but pragmatic, and immediately called his team to inform them.
It was only at 8 PM that Mercedes officially published a statement, just a few minutes before Ferrari did the same, but in a very concise manner.
The announcement was clearly planned for the return of F1 to Europe, during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, not far from Ferrari.
