Say it ain't so: Sir Lewis Hamilton set to trade in his Mercedes for a Ferrari starting in 2025

The F1 off-season was rocked by Thursday's news. Rumors of Hamilton considering retirement after 2024 were effectively squashed with news of a multi-year deal to drive for the prancing horse.

At the age of 39, Sir Lewis Hamilton has made yet another career change and this one might be bigger than his departure from McLaren in 2012!

It was announced Thursday that the seven-time world champion would be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, an end to a 17-year partnership between the two, with 11 of those years being at the Mercedes works team, which has allowed him to achieve every accolade possible in Formula One.

Scuderia Ferrari put out a statement shortly after the news broke Thursday morning: "Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract".

Hamilton released his own statement on his departure from Mercedes: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old.

"It's a place where I've grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto (Wolff) for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows one to remember".

The Hamilton and Mercedes partnership has achieved the most wins, pole positions, and podium finishes in F1 history. Hamilton will have 24 more races with Mercedes in the 2024 season before departing the team at the conclusion of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A big piece of the success with Hamilton at Mercedes, including four titles in a row is, of course, Toto Wolff. The longtime team principal, who recently had his contract extended, said this about his driver parting ways at the conclusion of the season: "Our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has ever seen. Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history, however, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis's decision to seek a fresh challenge."

Of course, Hamilton pairing with Charles Leclerc from 2025 onwards, forced Carlos Sainz to release the following statement about his Ferrari future, "Following today's news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024. We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course."

It is important to realize that Hamilton's new contract, in which full details have not been released, is a multi-year deal. This is noteworthy because of the major technical regulations that will take effect in 2026. When Hamilton left McLaren behind to join Mercedes in 2013, that was when the new regulations came into effect where we saw Mercedes lead the sport in innovation and consistency.

Now, with Lewis jumping ship again, to a fierce rival who has had their fair share of issues right before a regulation change, questions could certainly be asked about Mercedes' future.