Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes-AMG (Courtesy: F1)

Seven-time Champion Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari on Friday, the constructors confirmed in an official statement on Friday. His move is the dawn of a new era in F1 and his career as he decided to join Ferrari after spending more than a decade with Mercedes-AMG, winning six championships during this era.

Hamilton”s decision to move away from Mercedes-AMG sent shock waves across the racing circuit as throughout his F1 career his bond grew closer with the former constructors. In the recent past, they got even closer, as they partnered with Boost Diversity in STEM and motorsports in a bid to transform the lives of young people from underserved backgrounds.

However, the last two years have been rough for the Brit at Mercedes-AMG, which is a major reason for his switch. Hamilton found himself in a difficult situation to deal with as he lost the world championships in 2021, which could have been his record eighth.

The struggles continued in 2022 and 2023 as he found himself with a car that was no match for the mighty Red Bull team and for the first time he failed to win in the entire two seasons.

Although, the Mercedes initially believed that they can resolve the problems and had the resources to do so, their belief steadily waned as the struggle continued.

In these trying times, Ferrari built a masterplan for Hamilton, showed him their development direction and plans for 2026, when sweeping new aerodynamics and power unit regulations will be introduced. And Hamilton was swayed on the opportunity to rejuvenate his career.