Lewis Hamilton has confirmed his unwavering commitment to Mercedes for the upcoming 2024 season, despite his upcoming switch to Ferrari in 2025. He shared his initial thoughts on the W15 during the Formula 1 testing phase.
Hamilton has entered into a long-term agreement with Ferrari, marking a significant shift for his career starting in 2026, after being enticed with an irresistible offer to leave the team he has been with for over two decades.
He is set to fill the spot left by Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, a team that is currently positioned as potentially the second-quickest in the 2024 F1 testing. This announcement marks Hamilton’s first public comments on his future move.
Hamilton said to the media “This chapter is still not finished, and it’s still 100% focused on doing the best for this team this year and trying to finish on the high.”
“That’s a big, big goal for me and the team and I have absolute faith in everything, everyone in the team. And what we’ve done so far, I think is great so I really hope that we are somehow able to close the Red Bull somehow.”
Hamilton is of the opinion that Mercedes has made progress since 2024, but he also acknowledged that Red Bull continues to lead the pack, a sentiment widely shared by others in the sport.
During the second day of testing in Bahrain, Hamilton took the wheel for the entire day, clocking in the third-highest number of laps among the drivers. He secured the third position on the time sheets, trailing behind Sergio Perez and the front runner, Sainz.
However, Hamilton finished more than a second slower than Sainz, and only marginally faster than Lando Norris, who was fourth. This leaves the pecking order beyond Red Bull somewhat uncertain.
He added.“It’s a work in progress, it’s definitely improved, I think everyone has so we’re just going through the same sequence as everyone. The cars are still stiff and bumpy as we know, this generation of car. But the other team have done a great job over the winter.
“Yesterday was a good day and felt much more enjoyable to drive. I think we still also have time to find, Red Bull are out in the distance. But I think it’s a good platform to work from this year.”
