Lewis Hamilton’s statement immediately after leaving Mercedes couldn’t have been more wrong

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Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was announced on 1 February 2024, one of the most remarkable days in F1 history. No driver transfer has ever generated this much publicity.

48 hours later, Hamilton took to Instagram to explain his decision, writing: “The time is right to make a change and take on a new challenge. I still remember the feeling of taking a leap of faith into the unknown when I first joined Mercedes in 2013.

“I know some people didn’t understand it at the time but I was right to make the move then and it’s the feeling I have again now. I’m excited to see what I can bring to this new opportunity and what we can do together.”

In Hamilton’s own words, the dream turned into a nightmare in 2025. While he bounced back from a difficult debut by winning the China Sprint, that would be his only top-three finish of any description.

There were some hints of progress just after the summer break, but Hamilton ended the year in miserable fashion with three successive Q1 exits, leading many to question whether he can still achieve success at Maranello.

Lewis Hamilton picked the worst possible time to join Ferrari

Hamilton felt that 2025 was the perfect moment to join Ferrari, a dream he’d had throughout his career. That’s why he activated the exit clause in his Mercedes contract.

But the seven-time world champion should have honoured that deal. Yes, he may have struggled against the outstanding George Russell as he did in 2024, but Mercedes delivered the best car of their ground-effect era last year, as shown by their P2 finish in the constructors’.

Hamilton would have been better served by spending one last year at Brackley and then switching to Ferrari in 2026 to coincide with the rules reset. Again, one imagines he could have agreed this deal in advance.

Ferrari were poor last year, but Hamilton had every reason to believe they would be more competitive. The real problem, one that he should have anticipated, was that performance was converging.

On average, Hamilton was 0.25 seconds slower than Charles Leclerc in qualifying in 2025. Given that Leclerc is arguably F1’s fastest driver over one lap and has been with Ferrari since 2019, that margin was respectable.

However, in the closest F1 season ever, there were often multiple cars filling the gap. Leclerc’s average qualifying position this year was 5th, and Hamilton’s was ninth.

While Leclerc was often amongst the front-runners, Hamilton was slipping back into the increasingly competitive midfield. On average, the former scored 3.7 more points per weekend, which led to an eventual gap of 89.

Ferrari make Lewis Hamilton-inspired car change for 2026

Hamilton says he’d been able to influence Ferrari’s 2026 car development, which was perhaps the main benefit of joining in 2025.

Indeed, Ferrari have already followed Hamilton’s advice with their steering wheel. But his poor results, partly a consequence of the extremely fine margins last year, have strained his relationship with the team.

For instance, Hamilton’s chemistry with engineer Riccardo Adami has repeatedly been questioned. While the rules may be changing for 2026, it’s not as simple as pressing a reset button.

Hamilton is better prepared for the upcoming season than he would be if he had waited an additional year. But he also enters 2026 under far more pressure.