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Lewis Hamilton
Lando Norris will have to defy plenty of history to win the Formula 1 title this year. There's his friend-turned-rival Max Verstappen's bid for a fifth title in a row. Just like the only driver to achieve that feat, Michael Schumacher, Verstappen is a hard racer who isn't afraid to bend the rules as Norris knows from bitter experience. Then there's Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion going for a record eighth title in 2025. It's his first season with Ferrari, which is itching to end a wait for a drivers' title going back to 2007. Norris is the under-pressure favourite ======================= Norris is widely considered the favorite after he and McLaren had a strong second half of 2024 though not strong enough to beat Verstappen but it could be the closest season in years. McLaren seemed competitive in preseason testing last month but Norris has to watch out not only for Verstappen and Hamilton, but also for his own teammate Oscar Piastri, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Merc
Lewis Hamilton drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time Wednesday and described it as "one of the best feelings of my life. Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team's Fiorano test track and wore a new helmet design in yellow with a prominent Prancing Horse logo. The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators, who had gathered on a nearby bridge despite the cold and wet weather. When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face, Hamilton said of his first drive in a Ferrari since joining the Italian team for the 2025 season. It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again. Part-way through the day, Hamilton headed over to fans
Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes with one last overtake and a heartfelt message to the team where he won the Formula 1 title six times. We dreamed alone but together, we believed, Hamilton told race engineer Peter Bonnington and team principal Toto Wolff over the radio. "Thank you for all the courage, the determination and the passion for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books." Hamilton is moving to Ferrari for 2025 after 12 years at Mercedes, where he won all but one of his seven career drivers' championships. It was the most successful partnership between a team and driver in F1 history, and it ended with a pass on teammate George Russell for fourth place on the very last lap. After the finish, Hamilton span his car into celebratory donuts for the crowd before climbing out for the last time and giving a double thumbs-up to chants of Lewis. He then crouched beside the Mercedes and patted the car. Hamilton's move
Formula 1 great Lewis Hamilton kept his Ferrari move so closely guarded that he didn't even tell his parents until the day it was announced. The British driver rocked the F1 world when it was announced on Feb. 1 he was joining the Italian manufacturer next year, despite signing a new contract with Mercedes last summer. I didn't speak to anybody. I didn't tell my parents till the day of it being announced. So, no one knew," Hamilton told a BBC podcast. I really wanted to do it for myself. Ultimately, I had to find out what would be the best for me. It then emerged that the two-year deal penned with Mercedes and announced last August was actually for one year with an option for a second year, which Hamilton did not take. Hamilton informed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff of his decision to leave only the day before over breakfast at Wolff's home. They have become close friends over the years after Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013. The 39-year-old Hamilton and Michael
Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton said Wednesday it feels "surreal" to be entering his last season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari for 2025. Speaking as Mercedes unveiled its 2024 car at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, Hamilton said it has been a privilege to work with the team. Hamilton has driven for Mercedes since 2013, winning six of his seven titles with the team, but is leaving at the end of the season to join Ferrari. The move has shaken up F1 and surprised Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. "It has obviously been emotional," Hamilton said. "It's very surreal to be here, given I came here in 2013, so 11 years with the team, starting my 12th, and it is such a privilege to work with a group of people where you see the work they're doing over the winter." Mercedes was due to do a brief "shakedown" run at Silverstone on Wednesday before heading to Bahrain for three days of pre-season testing next week. The focus will be on "getting the team back t
Lewis Hamilton shocked the motorsports world when the seven-time Formula One champion said he will leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari, which had tried to land Hamilton before he signed his latest contract extension with the Silver Arrows. Hamilton only finalized a two-year extension with Mercedes at the end of August. Mercedes said Thursday the 39-year-old British driver has activated a release clause in that new deal that will allow him to join Ferrari in 2025. I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old, Hamilton said in a team statement. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 and won six of his seven titles with the Silv
Mercedes lost both of its protests after Lewis Hamilton lost the Formula One world title to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the last race at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After losing the protests, Mercedes filed for reconsideration to the International Court of Appeal. Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 58 in thrilling style after a crash involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with just a few laps left and confusion surrounded the restart. One of the lost protests was whether Verstappen had broken rules by passing Hamilton before the safety car period had ended, when they were jostling next to each other waiting for the restart. Although Car 33 (Verstappen) did at one stage, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of Car 44 (Hamilton), at a time when both cars where accelerating and braking, it moved back behind Car 44," stewards concluded. "It was not in front when the Safety Car period ended (i.e. at the line). Accordingly, the Protes