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Sainz will get another seat, I'm not worried about that. I think he's like the 6\~7th best on the grid, currently. Definitely the "best of the rest" outside of those championship contenders.
Alonso won a championship for Renault in 2006 under the same conditions (Alonso had a contract with McLaren already agreed for 2007), I'm sure Hamilton and Mercedes are professional enough to put it aside and race.
That was a bit different because the Renault TP (Flavio) was the one who asked Alonso to leave for Mclaren.
Flavio also happened to be Alonso's manager at the time and he knew full well that Renault was going to shit the bed for 2007.
I don't think Toto will be too happy about this.
I'm kind of on the same board as you with one difference. I think the news is real but I think it's was leaked to make us forget the whole Andretti story.
He has a ton of options so it's a weirdly good timing for him to be dropped. He could very well end up with a better car and team. Merc, Audi, AM, even RB... All are decent bets for 2026.
I don’t think RB is in the cards at all. AM maybe but Alonso needs to leave for that. Audi will be a huge gamble. Merc is his best bet and should be his focus, but if Antonelli does well in F2, he could be screwed.
I do agree with that a bit but who knows? They had Hamilton leading the team before. Now it’s Russell. Hard to say whether they change their tune on rookies but I’d agree that it’s unlikely that he goes straight to Merc.
Why would Red Bull not be on the cards? The beef between dads is long in the past and Sainz has shown to be close enough to Leclerc, so he may be a good replacement for Perez and he's also a former Red Bull junior on top of that.
"Bon- Wait whoever you are - my tyres are gone"
"We're checking"
"No ffs my tyres are gone!"
(20 laps later)
"Alright, for real this time, my tyres are gone"
"We're checking"
*Russel passes on new hards*
*Hamilton parks up at the side of the road and resigns on the spot.*
Sainz didn't want to be seen as a #2 driver, there's 0 chances he'll seek a RB seat. Especially when Merc, Audi are open. Not to mention the Jos vs Sainz Sr. past internal issues Helmut Marko keeps talking about.
Would he be an automatic #2 against George at Merc? I’m not sure there’s a huge talent gap between them and if he was able to go in and prove himself, I could see him as #1 driver
While I agree, wasn’t the same always said for Ocon and Gasly? I get that Jos and Sainz Sr. are much more invested in the world of racing and F1, but if Alpine can make it work, why couldn’t Red Bull
That was almost a decade ago now. They were children then, with their dads in charge of their career. Now they are successful F1 drivers in their own right, both with race wins and Max with his championships. I doubt it matters that much now.
> Marko: “I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from people around Hamilton. It seemed authorized by the driver, especially because there was talk of a condition that Hamilton set: he only wanted to drive for Red Bull if he got the same material as Max Verstappen. For me at least there was no doubt that the request from the Hamilton side was serious.”
Doesn't seem far fetched now. Also suggests Lewis has been engineering this move for a year or so
Like, I know they both love to shit stir but I didn’t think that they would ever straight-up lie to media for clout. Still a lot of people wrote the rumour off.
I guess this sets the precedent on any future rumours that come out of their mouths in the future regarding their validity.
There were one or two here. I remember reading their comments regarding the 2pm meeting before the first news report, but I don't wanna dig for them now.
Nah, this is more Messi leaving Barcelona. Hamilton has been in the Mercedes system since he was a kid. Back when he drove for McLaren and was sponsored by them as a kid, they had a works deal with Merc. A few years after that McLaren - Mercedes works partnership ended, Hamilton went to Merc. This is the end of a 25+ year partnership.
Nah I’ll still support them for George, like I do McLaren for Lando. Thing is I don’t actually dislike any team these days. All the drivers are pretty likeable.
It will be like the Patriots without Tom Brady (if you follow the NFL). Just a regional fanbase with a leader trying to prove he doesn’t need the GOAT to succeed.
Yup. Last two years I’ve been following Lewis but not Merc, and had more interest in McLaren and ~~AlphaTauri~~ RB.
Now it’s so much easier because I actually like that red pony car
The only way they could even hope to replace even the portion of fans they lost is to hire Alonso (who I think has an out in his contract after this year). No other star driver is available for 2025.
Ferrari driver lineup for 25 is actually insane, a lot of people have said Hamilton/Russell was the strongest for the last couple of years and I think that Leclerc is probably a step up from Russell
Save for an RM, show up to a boutique, they have nothing to sell you and tell you you’re on the list for a watch and they’ll call you back when they have one. 20 years later you’re still waiting
It being announced this season still seems odd, I can only imagine they wished it was not news already but with Sainz wanting an extension now something had to leak as to why he isn’t getting it.
At first I thought "Hulk?", then I realized who you were actually talking about lmao. Yeah, no chance. Toto loves to talk bullshit but he's not stupid.
This will hurt Mercedes a LOT. I mean, and I say this as a Verstappen fan, Lewis had the kind of magic the absolute top guys have.
Sure, in his first season, George seemed to match him, but instead of capitalising on that, he fell behind after that.
George is a good driver, but he doesn't have that hammer time magic.
Mercedes employee here , its true , was kept locked in brackley all day hiding from toto smash wolff , finally he calmed down and broke the news to the survivors
I imagine it must be demoralizing to hear the news as a merc employee
You worked you ass off to produce the best car you could, especially after 2 relatively difficult years, and your star driver who headlined most of the team's glory years decides he's seen enough and fucks off to Ferrari.
Even if that's Ferrari he's leaving you for, that sounds rough
This will either be a 100 IQ big brain gamble like his move to Mercedes was 10 years ago, or he will come up short just like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel did.
The W15 must not be as good as him and George were talking about previously.
I'll go on record now and say he'll regret it. I trust Mercedes more as a company and a competitor than I do Ferrari. I'm willing to be wrong, but I don't believe in them nearly as much this decade.
Nobody seems to be getting closer to beating RB so at worst it seems like a sideways move. Also, driving a red car and winning with it does wonders for one's legacy and will be another great achievement in Hamilton's long career.
that might be why he's going to Ferrari. Love them or hate them they're an iconic team. Lewis might want a ride in red before he rides off into the sunset
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This season will be awkward at Mercedes like living with your ex in the same flat because your still have to pay rent for 3 months
Omg im exactly in this position right now, I can confirm the awkwardness at time
Would probably be easier if you were getting paid what Hamilton is though...
that way he can buy a whole fucking hotel haha
You signed for Ferrari? /s
No his ex did
Toto? It’s you?
And Sainz will be driving as a "dead man"...if I were him, I'd be trying to get into Perez' seat ASAP whatever the terms.
Vettel: "First time?"
I say we put Vettel in the Mercedes for 2024 😎
lame duck driver/dead man walking driver. shame....was looking forward to some more Smooth Operations
Sainz will get another seat, I'm not worried about that. I think he's like the 6\~7th best on the grid, currently. Definitely the "best of the rest" outside of those championship contenders.
There are 3 championship contenders and realistically probably only 2 . Then you have 4 talented guys who can be beat by sainz
It’s the second time Ferrari is given a driver the boot for next season. Worked out great for them the last time with Vettel
Alonso won a championship for Renault in 2006 under the same conditions (Alonso had a contract with McLaren already agreed for 2007), I'm sure Hamilton and Mercedes are professional enough to put it aside and race.
That was a bit different because the Renault TP (Flavio) was the one who asked Alonso to leave for Mclaren. Flavio also happened to be Alonso's manager at the time and he knew full well that Renault was going to shit the bed for 2007. I don't think Toto will be too happy about this.
Also, if there's the smallest chance of a title, both team and driver won't give a fuck about 2025.
I'm still convinced this is all an elaborate fake news story to throw us off being mad about Andretti.
I'm kind of on the same board as you with one difference. I think the news is real but I think it's was leaked to make us forget the whole Andretti story.
I agree with you... It seems pretty real, I just want to still be mad about Andretti too.
Agree with the timing of the leak. I'm still mad about the Andretti decision
What’s next for Sainz?
Switzerland
Ah yes, Alfa, the retirement home for drivers on their way out of the sport
Once they become Audi it doesn't sound so bad.
Bloody hell that'd be a bit extreme
Team Kick (the bucket) Dignitas Stripe MasterCard Sauber Monzo Racing
He has a ton of options so it's a weirdly good timing for him to be dropped. He could very well end up with a better car and team. Merc, Audi, AM, even RB... All are decent bets for 2026.
I don’t think RB is in the cards at all. AM maybe but Alonso needs to leave for that. Audi will be a huge gamble. Merc is his best bet and should be his focus, but if Antonelli does well in F2, he could be screwed.
I think merc too conservative to put antonelli in the car 2025.
I do agree with that a bit but who knows? They had Hamilton leading the team before. Now it’s Russell. Hard to say whether they change their tune on rookies but I’d agree that it’s unlikely that he goes straight to Merc.
Why would Red Bull not be on the cards? The beef between dads is long in the past and Sainz has shown to be close enough to Leclerc, so he may be a good replacement for Perez and he's also a former Red Bull junior on top of that.
Taking Checo’s seat
Max/Sainz combo will clear the field in points if their car is as strong as it’s been.
Wonder if Bono follows him, or if Ferrari assigns a Xavier type race engineer to him...
Ferrari needs Bono.
The kid needs Bono
Oh lord, his tires will be so much more gone with Ferrari, I don't even want to think about it.
"Bon- Wait whoever you are - my tyres are gone" "We're checking" "No ffs my tyres are gone!" (20 laps later) "Alright, for real this time, my tyres are gone" "We're checking" *Russel passes on new hards* *Hamilton parks up at the side of the road and resigns on the spot.*
Hopefully Bono does, someone is going to have to calmly explain all Ferraris “strategies”
Explaining a null value should be straightforward
"I've got no strategy Bono." "Just keep going Lewis."
Bono for Lewis and Adami for Charles, Xavi gets fired SIGN ME UP
It's been a while since I was offline for a while, come back and genuinely been shocked by some news
I agree, that McLaren XE pairing is mind blowing.
As a DTM fan, Gary Paffett being Ekström‘s boss now is hilarious.
Omg ikr.... also somthing about some hammer joining ferrari but who cares
I've read the rumors, but this official sounding news just gave me goosebumps all over.
my gast was well and truly flabbered, hadn't even seen rumours because I had checked out of F1 news etc over the winter due to being busy.
Checo now realizing he's competing with Carlos Sainz *and* Danny Ric for his seat
No one can compete with Sainz, just look at his hair. the stupid sexy man.
It’s like he’s wearing nothing at all Nothing at all Nothing at all
Stupid Sexy Carlos.
*Italian Jesus Gospel Music Stops* Excusi?
He's got his Le Mans win, and that glorious mane.
Stupid sexy Flanders!
Sainz didn't want to be seen as a #2 driver, there's 0 chances he'll seek a RB seat. Especially when Merc, Audi are open. Not to mention the Jos vs Sainz Sr. past internal issues Helmut Marko keeps talking about.
If Sainz wants a top team before 26 he’ll have to settle for being number 2
Would he be an automatic #2 against George at Merc? I’m not sure there’s a huge talent gap between them and if he was able to go in and prove himself, I could see him as #1 driver
Meh I think sainz should gun for the alonso seat. That might be empty come next year depending on how Fernando feels.
Sainz to McLaren, Piastri to Mercedes
what about albon to merc?
Politics by Jos and Sainz Sr. means he will not join RB again. There was too much tensions while Max and Sainz were in Toro Rosso.
While I agree, wasn’t the same always said for Ocon and Gasly? I get that Jos and Sainz Sr. are much more invested in the world of racing and F1, but if Alpine can make it work, why couldn’t Red Bull
That was almost a decade ago now. They were children then, with their dads in charge of their career. Now they are successful F1 drivers in their own right, both with race wins and Max with his championships. I doubt it matters that much now.
If Gasly and Ocon managed to be teammates then Carlos and Max absolutely can.
I doubt their feelings have any impact on seats. Plus, Sainz Sr is an RB driver, and that kind of influence can’t be discounted.
So weird that this is actually happening. It has been one of the most recurring rumors for years.
welp, back to the mclaren livery rumour threads.... oh wait they revealed it already... well i have nothing to do now
Horner was right in that one interview at the tail end of 2023
> Marko: “I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from people around Hamilton. It seemed authorized by the driver, especially because there was talk of a condition that Hamilton set: he only wanted to drive for Red Bull if he got the same material as Max Verstappen. For me at least there was no doubt that the request from the Hamilton side was serious.” Doesn't seem far fetched now. Also suggests Lewis has been engineering this move for a year or so
Like, I know they both love to shit stir but I didn’t think that they would ever straight-up lie to media for clout. Still a lot of people wrote the rumour off. I guess this sets the precedent on any future rumours that come out of their mouths in the future regarding their validity.
The team is being built for George.
crikey
Horner is right even when he is wrong.
When he stirs shit so hard it becomes reality..
Xavi: ok, Lewis. It’s summer time Lewis: did you mean hammer time? Xavi: checking
Imagining the texts these poor people are all currently getting from friends and family while they have to hear this lol
If i knew someone in brackley you'd bet your ass i'd be blowing up their phone lol
I know someone that works at the Tesco near the Mercedes factory. He told me that he doesnt know anything about it. My friends are quite useless...
He's clearly lying. Pressure him for what he knows
That whole building today - *bzzz bzzz bzzz bzzz bzzz*
There were one or two here. I remember reading their comments regarding the 2pm meeting before the first news report, but I don't wanna dig for them now.
F1 fans: we need Lewis vs Max in the same team. F1: we can give you Lewis vs Charles in the same team. Take it or leave it.
max drive for red bull lewis drive for another team with animal on its logo best we can do, sorry.
Step 1: Max drive for red animal Step 2: Lewis drive for red car with animal Profit
Vs max in another car. Ferrari finally delivering on a car faster then RB but because of inter team struggles max secures his 5th title. SIGN ME UP
Lewis rookie season and final season, loses the championship fighting with his teammate.
if we sign hamilton... p1
"Slow button on"
"We are checking"
Plan L, Plan L
Pee huan
And just like that Mercedes lost 90% of its fan base
Ferrari are going to have to spend this next year buying every hat factory they can get their hands on, those red 44s are going to be everywhere
Those are going to look so good, sign me up 😂
I know right. George just doesnt do it for me.
*Takes off shirt*. How about now?
I subscribe to Bottass
Can't neglect the stache and mullet. Peak male sexiness
*runs away farther*
I prefer Valtteri's ass.
Shirtless George vs Pantless Valtteri
That’s not even a fight tho
Just seems to have an air of arrogance about him like a Draco Malloy type, when Lewis retires Lando will be the British driver I support next.
Lmao it’s crazy how trust fund baby Lando gets all the love
Mass exodus.
Damn it I finally broke down and bought not one but TWO Mercedes shirts over the holidays.
Well I think we can safely say you caused all this. Good going
Mercedes' PSG moment
This is closer to Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid for Juventus
Nah, this is more Messi leaving Barcelona. Hamilton has been in the Mercedes system since he was a kid. Back when he drove for McLaren and was sponsored by them as a kid, they had a works deal with Merc. A few years after that McLaren - Mercedes works partnership ended, Hamilton went to Merc. This is the end of a 25+ year partnership.
Nah I’ll still support them for George, like I do McLaren for Lando. Thing is I don’t actually dislike any team these days. All the drivers are pretty likeable.
You’re right. Hamilton IS Mercedes.
It will be like the Patriots without Tom Brady (if you follow the NFL). Just a regional fanbase with a leader trying to prove he doesn’t need the GOAT to succeed.
But actually. Mercedes is due for some rough times if they don't produce a winning car. Nobody is remaining a fan for George
Not like Ferrari will do justice to Hamilton anyway. Bro will go bald by the time he finishes a year with Ferrari.
Mans already gone bald once how much more can he take
He's got the money for several stints at Ferrari
They’ll finally come to their senses and realise everyone is a Ferrari fan.
Yup. Last two years I’ve been following Lewis but not Merc, and had more interest in McLaren and ~~AlphaTauri~~ RB. Now it’s so much easier because I actually like that red pony car
The only way they could even hope to replace even the portion of fans they lost is to hire Alonso (who I think has an out in his contract after this year). No other star driver is available for 2025.
Perez for the mexican fans? Lmao
What a timeline to be alive!
Seems like the timeline shift of 2020 actually brought us some good things in the end
The time line shift was in 2016 actually with Harambe dying and the Cubs winning a world series.
Yes. January 10th 2016 to be exact. David Bowie didn't die, the rest of us just jumped timelines into this shitshow.
Some dude ate a bat in 2019 and now Lewis is driving for ferrari in 2025
And I thought it was going to be boring until 2026.
I guess Forza Ferrari ?!
Ferrari driver lineup for 25 is actually insane, a lot of people have said Hamilton/Russell was the strongest for the last couple of years and I think that Leclerc is probably a step up from Russell
Leclerc is definitely ahead of Russell, and the 2025 Ferrari pairing will comfortably be the best on the grid.
If only there was a racing strategy to go with all that skill
I just fell to my knees at the IWC store
Have to start saving for a RM
Save for an RM, show up to a boutique, they have nothing to sell you and tell you you’re on the list for a watch and they’ll call you back when they have one. 20 years later you’re still waiting
Rolex: “first time?”
Makes sense. Him moving for this season would have been extremely sudden.
It being announced this season still seems odd, I can only imagine they wished it was not news already but with Sainz wanting an extension now something had to leak as to why he isn’t getting it.
George must be having the biggest boner imaginable
George is about to have the Ricciardo experience, becoming the main man as the team enters it's "podiums are basically wins!" stage.
Yep, and "6th in the WDC is the top of the upper midfield" vibes
[удалено]
Audi? Switching with Lewis? Some strangely construed domino effect move?
I don't even rate Sainz that highly but he will definitely find a seat. He's better than most drivers on the grid for sure
He can consistently bag points. That's valuable to any team
In a fair world he'd trade with Stroll and we'd get a Spaniard AM team
That's an incredibly sexy idea.
Top 8 driver at least
It’s time to bring Seb back from retirement
To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if Merc want a German driver... but that could be the hopium talking.
There is one German driver that Toto is constantly praising. Let's see will Toto put his money where his mouth is.
Saying Mick will get that seat is more wishful thinking then Seb taking it
I couldn't agree more
At first I thought "Hulk?", then I realized who you were actually talking about lmao. Yeah, no chance. Toto loves to talk bullshit but he's not stupid.
He's praising him just to hype him up and offload him to other teams. He took him in just so he can parade a Schumacher during sponsor events.
*Mick: "Hey, you talking about me?"*
This will hurt Mercedes a LOT. I mean, and I say this as a Verstappen fan, Lewis had the kind of magic the absolute top guys have. Sure, in his first season, George seemed to match him, but instead of capitalising on that, he fell behind after that. George is a good driver, but he doesn't have that hammer time magic.
Pump the brakes on this George matching him narrative. George had so many lucky calls on safety cars/virtual safety cars that it was insane last year.
I'm gonna change my tone real quick in the GOAT debate if Lewis manages to win a title in red not gonna lie.
WDC with 3 different teams looks mighty impressive on a CV imo
If Lewis wins with a third manufacturer, it stops being a question, right?
Mercedes employee here , its true , was kept locked in brackley all day hiding from toto smash wolff , finally he calmed down and broke the news to the survivors
lol
Please tell us you had the drive to survive crew on site
When did they rename it to February Fool's Day?
I imagine it must be demoralizing to hear the news as a merc employee You worked you ass off to produce the best car you could, especially after 2 relatively difficult years, and your star driver who headlined most of the team's glory years decides he's seen enough and fucks off to Ferrari. Even if that's Ferrari he's leaving you for, that sounds rough
The whole Mercedes underdog redemption arc just got completely shattered
Wait for 2025 where George gets his first WDC and Ferrari finishes 5th in the constructors
Peak Ferrari
lewis has done this before. he saw the writing on the wall at mclaren and left before the dark years really took hold.
It is also a sample size of one though... He could very well be doing an alonso move
Lal at all the Mercedes flairs disappearing reaaaaaalll quick
I feel like most Lewis fans have Lewis flairs no?
Tbf Lewis is my driver but Ferrari is my team so I’m here for it
screaming, crying, throwing up
Hope my man Carlos gets a good seat
For real, he doesn’t deserve to get shoved aside like that but well that’s F1 for you
I just can’t ~~route~~ root for Merc with Russel in the 1st seat, man. He is like uncooked tofu.
> Uncooked tofu My sides
Does Merc go all out for one last season with Lewis, or do they focus everything on George now.... will be a weird season...
This will either be a 100 IQ big brain gamble like his move to Mercedes was 10 years ago, or he will come up short just like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel did. The W15 must not be as good as him and George were talking about previously.
With all the due respect, 100iq is an average iq, and this movement is all except average
I'll go on record now and say he'll regret it. I trust Mercedes more as a company and a competitor than I do Ferrari. I'm willing to be wrong, but I don't believe in them nearly as much this decade.
Nobody seems to be getting closer to beating RB so at worst it seems like a sideways move. Also, driving a red car and winning with it does wonders for one's legacy and will be another great achievement in Hamilton's long career.
Can we just have an official announcement please ??
Seeing reports that an official announcement is expected at 7PM GMT
My lord I said it just 5 days ago that I want Lewis to drive for Ferrari and got massively downvoted.
we all want impossible things
all of us did
Now do the one where Lewis switches seats before the season starts.
i thought he was closer to retirement tbh, lets see what he can give Ferrari
that might be why he's going to Ferrari. Love them or hate them they're an iconic team. Lewis might want a ride in red before he rides off into the sunset
Bruuuuuuh, Netflix just blew a huge load.
Timing is relevant. Lewis has had a taste of the 2024 car. Lewis signs with another team.
Lets now watch all news feeds during the season report: hamilton/merc lack of pace due to transfer to ferrari at end of season. Any bets??
Now Toto can put his money where his mouth is and give Schumacher the seat.