Lewis Hamilton’s Move to Ferrari Lifts His Sports Card Market
Lewis Hamilton, widely considered the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, announced on Feb. 1 that he will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
This also means he’ll still race for Mercedes in 2024 — how awkward, right?
Making matters even more strange, Hamilton had just signed a new deal with Mercedes last summer to keep him with the team through 2025. He recently activated a release clause in his contract, however, and will depart one year early to join Ferrari on a multi-year agreement.
Essentially the lone face of Formula 1 before the rise of Max Verstappen and emergence of young drivers like Charles Leclerc and George Russell, the news of Hamilton’s move immediately caused shifts in the sports card market.
According to Market Movers, Hamilton’s 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Base PSA 10 has jumped 37% over the last 30 days and 58% over the last 14 — likely a more accurate representation of the move’s impact.
Even PSA 9 examples are up 44% over the last 30 days. His 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Track Tags PSA 10 is also up 80% over the same period.
The question is: Can Hamilton’s card market sustain this surge throughout the 2024 F1 slate?
Considering the overall F1 card market tends to jump from December to early April before dipping slowly throughout the rest of the year, it’s possible Hamilton’s cards could continue to rise until the first couple of races. Since 2021, Hamilton’s cards have often dipped in price when he doesn’t finish first at the podium.
Impact on Ollie Bearman
Formula 1 fans might be wondering what impact Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025 will have on 18-year old Ferrari Driver Academy Member and current F2 Prema Racing driver Oliver Bearman of Great Britain.
While we’re way too far away to know for sure, and Bearman doesn’t have any Topps Chrome cards out yet (only Topps NOW and Turbo Attax), he’s certainly going to be a name to monitor when he gets his first Topps Chrome F1 Future Stars and/or true rookie cards.
