Mercedes have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
On Thursday morning, reports emerged that the seven-time world champion was on the brink of penning a deal to make the surprise switch to the Italian manufacturer in 2025.
Hamilton, now 39 years of age, has been with Mercedes since 2013 and has lifted six of his world crowns while driving for his current employers.
However, the Englishman has made the decision to exercise the break clause in his recently-signed contract, enabling him to leave at the end of the year.
Although Hamilton was able to finish in third spot in the Drivers Standings in 2023, he was part of a team alongside George Russell that continued to lose ground to a dominant Red Bull.
That is likely to have contributed to Hamilton looking to take on a fresh challenge at the back end of his career, with the expectation being that he will replace Carlos Sainz Jr.
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As quoted by the Mercedes official website, Hamilton said: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together.
"Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
"But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto (Wolff) for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together.
"I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."
Hamilton is currently preparing for the start of the 2024 campaign, which gets underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
Darren Plant
