Hamilton used Mercedes ‘loophole’ to land Ferrari F1 move for one reason according to Coulthard

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David Coulthard is certain that Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari as the 2025 move is the Briton’s ‘retirement plan’ and is about enhancing his ‘legacy’ in F1.

The Silver Arrows confirmed last Thursday that Hamilton has triggered the release clause in his contract. He has opted to leave Mercedes and replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari on a multi-year contract. The 39-year-old has been in Brackley since 2013 but will race in red next year.

Hamilton and Mercedes are the most successful driver-team pairing in Formula 1 history. His move from McLaren as a one-time drivers’ champion delivered a further six titles from 2014 to 2020. The Silver Arrows also swept every Formula 1 constructors’ title from 2014 to 2021.

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for 2025

A staggering 82 of Hamilton’s F1 record 103 Grand Prix wins have also come since his switch to Mercedes. The Stevenage-born star has further secured 148 of his F1 record 197 podiums and 78 of his F1 record 104 pole positions. Mercedes also powered his triumphs at McLaren.

But Hamilton has not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP and has only taken pole at the 2023 Hungarian GP since Formula 1 adopted new ground effect regulations in 2022. The change in regulations further helped to see Mercedes drop behind Red Bull as the top team.

David Coulthard thinks this is Lewis Hamilton’s ‘retirement plan’

Coulthard believes Ferrari have now shown Hamilton ‘something magical’ is coming in their future to convince the Briton to part ways with Mercedes. The former Red Bull racer further feels Hamilton sees it as a ‘retirement plan’ as he will surely now end his career with Ferrari.

The chance to possibly bow out as a drivers’ champion with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari was likely just too enticing. Being the one who wins the Scuderia their first drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 would also help Hamilton to cement a ‘legacy’ in Formula 1 forever.

“A loophole has been created by them doing the one-plus-one,” he told Formula for Success. “I assume Lewis was able to trigger releasing or not taking up the option for him to continue once he felt comfortable that Ferrari were offering him something magical for the future.

“This is his retirement plan. He is going to end his career at Ferrari. So, this is about legacy. It’s about trying to win a world championship with them.

“He can win a world championship, an eighth, with Mercedes this year if they deliver him a race car. So, he could go to Ferrari as an eight-time world champion and then try to add to that with them.”