Ferrari team boss shares extraordinary revelation about Lewis Hamilton F1 contract

Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur has revealed to Financial Times how long Lewis Hamilton's new Ferrari F1 contract will be valid for. Previously, this was never known, although there were rumours about the exact length of the deal.

Hamilton has been driving for the Mercedes factory team since the 2013 season. In that time, the British driver claimed six World Drivers' Championships behind his name and helped Mercedes get to eight consecutive constructors' titles.

So the fact that Hamilton announced earlier this year that he was leaving Mercedes and moving to Ferrari's team came as a shock to many people in de Formula 1 paddock. After all, the Briton has been using Mercedes engines in his entire Formula 1 career. In the McLaren days Hamilton also used Mercedes engines, since the Woking-based squad used Mercedes machinery in the back of their cars.

Hamilton choses Ferrari, but...

The reason for Hamilton's switch from Brackley to Maranello was obvious at the time. After all, Mercedes has not been the class of the field it used to be since 2022. Rivals such as Red Bull and McLaren have surpassed the German squad since then.

Besides that, teams like Red Bull and McLaren were 'full' and did not need a new driver. That way only the iconic Ferrari team remained for Hamilton to explore a new part of his Formula 1 career. Of course, the fact that every Formula 1 driver wants to drive for Ferrari at some point in their respective career also played a role in Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes.

However, although Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari had previously seemed logical, that is no longer the case. Indeed, Mercedes has rebounded and managed to win the past two races, including Hamilton's home race at Silverstone. Hamilton, however, indicated at Silverstone that he did not regret his decision from earlier in the season and is looking forward to his time at Ferrari.

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Vasseur on Hamilton-Ferrari deal

This may have something to do with the contents of his new Ferrari contract. Namely, it states that he will earn a million-dollar salary of around 100 million euros per annum and the deal also states that he will become a Ferrari ambassador after his time driving for the Italian formation. In addition, Ferrari is freeing up money to further expand Hamilton's diversity project named 'Mission 44'.

Previously, it was widely regarded that Hamilton's Ferrari deal would most likely be a 2+1 deal, but now Vasseur has revealed that it is a three-year deal. "He (Hamilton) had to make a choice: 'Where do I have the greatest chance of winning the world championship in 2025, '26, '27?' And he said: 'Ferrari'," the Ferrari team boss said.