Mercedes is reportedly set to hold an internal meeting later today at Brackley to inform its staff of Lewis Hamilton's impending departure from the team.
The shock announcement is expected to be made at 2pm during a briefing led by team principal Toto Wolff and technical director James Allison, according to a report from The Telegraph.
Hamilton's alleged switch to Ferrari has been the subject of intense speculation for months, fueled by his reported desire for a fresh challenge and Ferrari's renewed competitiveness.
However, the speculation was put to rest last year when Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes covering 2024 and 2025.
But it has now come to light that the Briton’s second season is allegedly an option to remain at Brackley, only exercisable by Hamilton.
Hamilton’s sensational move to Maranello would see the seven-time world champion paired with Charles Leclerc, while Carlos Sainz would become a free agent at the end of 2024.
But Hamilton’s transfer will also leave a big void at Mercedes and a plum seat alongside incumbent George Russell.
Interestingly, Hamilton would join Ferrari a year before the introduction in 2026 of Formula 1’s next-generation technical regulations and engine platform, a similar schedule than the one that guided his shock switch from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, twelve months before F1 ushered in its hybrid era.
Hamilton will be 40-years-old when he embarks on his next career move, or two years younger than Fernando Alonso.
Will it be a match made in heaven for Grand Prix racing’s most accomplished driver and its most successful team? Only time will tell…
Update: It has been confirmed by Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes that Mercedes employees in Brackley have been told that Lewis Hamilton will be leaving at the end of the 2024 season.
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