Lewis Hamilton won’t get behind the wheel of a Ferrari until 2025, despite his highly anticipated move to the Italian team next season.
The news came during a lighthearted exchange between Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur at the Las Vegas Grand Prix press conference.
“You have to ask Toto,” Vasseur joked when questioned about Hamilton’s first Ferrari drive.
It’s a different story for Carlos Sainz, the man Hamilton’s replacing. Ferrari is letting him test with his future team Williams after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – a gesture of thanks for his professionalism during a tough situation.
“Carlos did a very good job with us this season,” Vasseur said. “It would have been easy not to be so professional, and the best way to thank him was to give him the opportunity to test with Williams.”
The decision to keep Hamilton at Mercedes through the end of his contract isn’t causing any drama between the team bosses.
Wolff explained it pretty simply: “Fred didn’t ask. We’ve got contractual agreements with sponsors, we’re having a farewell for Lewis, lots of activities planned.”
The Mercedes chief said he and Hamilton had a brief chat about it. “He said, ‘I guess that’s not going to work.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to work.’ That was the whole thing.”
Vasseur isn’t bothered by the situation. “There is a contract,” he shrugged. “I have to respect this. It’s not because we are doing something for Carlos that everybody has to do the same.”
The seven-time world champion’s move to Ferrari has been one of F1’s biggest talking points this year. While fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Hamilton in red, the switch is getting closer to reality with each passing race.
