Lewis Hamilton warned Mercedes F1 icon must ‘submit’ to huge Ferrari change

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Lewis Hamilton must now ‘submit’ to Ferrari and the Formula 1 team’s ‘different’ ways when he makes his move from Mercedes in 2025, according to Hans-Joachim Stuck.

The Scuderia stole a march on the driver market by signing Hamilton to replace Carlos Sainz in Maranello. Ferrari moved quickly to secure the seven-time F1 champion’s signature after tying Charles Leclerc up with a new contract. Sainz was set to be out of contract after 2024.

Hamilton has triggered an escape clause in his contract at Mercedes to move to Ferrari. The 39-year-old only agreed to fresh terms last August for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. But they agreed to a clause that leaves the Silver Arrows looking for George Russell’s new teammate.

Lewis Hamilton must ‘submit’ to Ferrari after move from Mercedes

German motorsport icon Stuck is now eager to see how Hamilton adapts to the way Ferrari operate compared to Mercedes. The Briton has been in Brackley since 2013 and won six of his seven drivers’ championships yet from 2014 to 2020 amid the Silver Arrows’ dominance.

But Ferrari are unique compared to their rival Formula 1 teams and Stuck believes Hamilton must ‘submit’ to the Scuderia’s ways. The former Brabham F1 driver and two-time Le Mans winner is confident that Hamilton is taking a step into the unknown by moving to Maranello.

“Hamilton is a special personality,” Stuck noted, via quotes by Sport.de. “But I’m curious to see whether he can cope with the Ferrari system, where everything runs a little differently.

“Of course, Hamilton will have this step gilded nicely with his salary. He deserves it. But he has to submit now. He’s certainly not used to that.”

Ferrari come first, even if their decisions can enrage their F1 drivers

Hamilton is an essential part in the Mercedes system having been in Brackley since 2013 and enjoyed lavish success together. But he will leave his home comforts by joining Ferrari where Leclerc has been the main man since his promotion in 2019 after one year in F1 with Sauber.

Yet while the 26-year-old saw off Sebastian Vettel in 2019 with 264 points to 240 and two F1 race wins to one, Leclerc still finds himself butting heads with Ferrari from time to time. The team comes first in Maranello. Even if their decisions have frustrated their Monegasque star.

“Let down is not the word,” Leclerc vented, via Crash, after Ferrari double-stacked their cars and denied him a potential Monaco GP win in 2022. “Sometimes mistakes can happen. But there have been too many mistakes today.”