Hamilton to race for Ferrari in 2025: what happens to Sainz?

The signing of the decade in Formula 1 is in progress: Hamilton is nearing a deal with Ferrari. The final details are about to be concluded, but the seven-time world champion, now aged 39, is pursuing the romantic option before concluding his career and will attempt to secure an eighth championship dressed in red. Italian media reported this on Thursday, and AS has been able to confirm it.

This move inevitably impacts Carlos Sainz, leaving him out of Maranello starting from the next season. Conversations for a contract extension beyond 2024, which were in progress, fall apart with one of the most significant moves in the history of the championship. The 29-year-old Spanish driver, a key player in Ferrari’s last victory in Singapore 2023, has ample options to decide his future from next year onwards.

What about Hamilton and Mercedes?

Hamilton renewed with Mercedes until 2025 last year, but in recent times, Formula 1 contracts are not as binding and allow for exit clauses. Hence, drivers like Leclerc and Norris have signed seemingly eternal extensions with Ferrari and McLaren, respectively, which can be terminated if the car’s performance is not as expected. After two years without a winning car, regardless of what happens in 2024, Sir Lewis is set to leave the team that has been his home for a decade, where he became a seven-time champion, and he will also cease to use the Mercedes engine that propelled him throughout his F1 career.

The challenge of winning titles with three historic teams and restoring glory to Ferrari may help fulfill the dream of John Elkann, the president of the Italian team. Alonso and Vettel attempted it but left empty-handed. It’s not a secret that Hamilton and the Italians have met in the past. Fred Vasseur, the team principal of the Italian team since last year, appears to be a useful tool to achieve this, as he was Hamilton’s boss in the F2 era. “I speak with Lewis every week,” he admitted at Ferrari’s last Christmas dinner, although no one associated his comments with a possible F1 contract. In a few days, it will be realised.

Where next for Sainz?

As for Sainz, it is evidently a hurdle in his F1 career path. The dream of becoming a champion with Ferrari will not come true, at least in the short term, although the driver who displaces him from the team also adds value to him. Carlos has two victories in Maranello, and there may be more to come in 2024. There are plenty of vacant seats: for 2025, there are openings at Audi, Mercedes, Alpine, Aston Martin, and Williams.

The most interesting options are at Mercedes, Audi, and Aston Martin, where the Madrid-born driver is likely to be when the next season begins. A decision will be made in the coming weeks, perhaps around pre-season testing, either before or after. It is impossible to know for sure if one of these three projects will win a championship before Ferrari. But Hamilton had to give it a try.