Valtteri Bottas sees one ‘big motivation’ behind Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes

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Valtteri Bottas admits Lewis Hamilton ‘surprised’ the Sauber star by agreeing to leave Mercedes but the Stake F1 Team driver sees a ‘big motivation’ with a move to Ferrari.

The news broke last Thursday that Hamilton will leave Mercedes after the 2024 F1 season to join Ferrari. He will replace Carlos Sainz in Maranello after the Scuderia only elected to offer Charles Leclerc a new contract. Hamilton has also broken out of his contract to head to Italy.

Mercedes only locked the seven-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion down for 2024 and 2025 with a new deal last August. But Hamilton had an escape clause in those terms which allows the 39-year-old to leave the Silver Arrows – for whom he has driven since 2013 – after 2024.

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes after a hugely successful partnership

Hamilton and Mercedes were a juggernaut pairing from the start of F1’s turbo-hybrid era in 2014. He won six drivers’ titles through until 2020 as the Silver Arrows further secured each constructors’ title. But winless campaigns in 2022 and 2023 has tempted the Briton to leave.

Never before in his Formula 1 career had Hamilton failed to win at least one race per season before the 2022 campaign. He is also the most successful F1 driver ever with 103 Grand Prix victories, plus 104 pole positions and 197 podiums, along with a joint-record seven titles yet.

Lewis Hamilton ‘surprised’ Valtteri Bottas by agreeing to move to Ferrari

Hamilton split the Mercedes garage with Bottas from 2017 through 2021. The Finn replaced 2016 drivers’ champion, Nico Rosberg, in Brackley before joining Sauber in 2022 as they ran as Alfa Romeo. The Hinwil, Switzerland-based outfit will be Stake F1 Team in 2024 and 2025.

But while Bottas left Mercedes, the 34-year-old had come to expect Hamilton to see out his Formula 1 career with the Silver Arrows. So, the news of the Stevenage-born star securing a switch to Ferrari ‘surprised’ him. Yet there is an obvious motivation for a move to Maranello.

“Surprised, I never actually thought that could happen,” Bottas has admitted to PlanetF1 in regard to Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari. “But I think it’s good for him. I mean, it’s a big opportunity. It’s a big move and, obviously, he’s made the decision himself.

“For sure, that’s going to now escalate some movement on the market for ‘25. So, at the moment, it’s quite hard to predict how it’s going to go.

“I think it’s a great challenge. I’m sure it’s a big motivation for him to bring Ferrari to the top. So, yeah. It’s kind of cool and, like I said, it will definitely create some movement for the future, which is good for the whole sport – and for some drivers.”

Ferrari have not won the constructors’ championship since 2008 and Kimi Raikkonen further remains their most recent drivers’ champion in 2007. Now, Hamilton may get the chance to eclipse fellow seven-time champion, Michael Schumacher, where the German got five titles.