'Ferrari chief urged Hamilton's arrival'

Lewis Hamilton will make the surprise switch to Ferrari. This leaves Mercedes with an empty spot for 2025. Craig Slater explained to Sky Sports that this also explains the contracts for Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.

Staff at Mercedes have been told that Lewis Hamilton is leaving at the end of 2024. The Briton will make the switch to Ferrari at the end of the season, where he plans to hunt for his eighth world title. According to Slater, this deal makes it immediately clear why Leclerc and Norris were briefly committed.

According to the reporter for the British medium, Ferrari had been working on Hamilton for months. John Elkann, Ferrari's CEO, is said to have mainly pushed for Hamilton's arrival. Frederic Vasseur will not disagree with this move, as the Ferrari team boss has worked with Hamilton in the past at ART.

By extending Leclerc's contract, Ferrari would've already prevented the vacant seat at Mercedes from being filled. With a multi-year deal for Leclerc, Mercedes cannot acquire the young Monegasque. McLaren also recently extended Lando Norris' contract. Whether they were also aware of the upcoming Hamilton deal is unknown to Slater.