F1: Racing for Ferrari fulfills a childhood dream, says Lewis Hamilton

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton shocked the F1 world with a deal reached on Thursday which will see the Mercedes driver racing for Ferrari from 2025.

Hamilton, 39, said in a post on Instagram on Saturday that the decision felt right and reminded him of his move to Mercedes from McLaren at the end of 2012.

"I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfill another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red," he wrote.

"Mercedes has been a huge part of my life since I was 13-year-old, so this decision has been the hardest I've ever had to make," he added.

Hamilton said the time was right to take on a new challenge.

"I still remember the feeling of taking a leap of faith into the unknown when I first joined Mercedes in 2013," he recalled.

"I know some people didn't understand it at the time, but I was right to make the move then and it's the feeling I have again now. I'm excited to see what I can bring to this new opportunity and what we can do together."

Ferrari has not won a driver's title since 2007, the year Hamilton made a stunning debut with McLaren and missed becoming champion by a single point.

Hamilton said that right now he was not thinking of 2025.

"My focus is on the upcoming season and getting back out on track with Mercedes," he said. "I am more driven than ever. I am fitter and more focused than ever, and I want to help Mercedes win once again.

"I am 100 percent committed to the job I need to do and determined to end my partnership with the team on a high."

Charles Leclerc, who became a full-time member of the Ferrari team since 2019, will be Hamilton's teammate.

In January, Ferrari and Leclerc agreed a contract extension.

"I'm very pleased to know that I will be wearing the Scuderia Ferrari race suit for several more seasons to come," Leclerc commented on the contract announcement.

"To race for this team has been my dream since I was three years old: I used to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the window of a friend's apartment at Ste. Devote corner and I would always look out for the red cars. This team is my second family ever since I joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016 and we have achieved a lot together, fighting through thick and thin over the past five years," Leclerc added.

Previously, Leclerc said "anyone on the F1 grid would like to be Lewis Hamilton's teammate."

(With input from agencies)

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Lewis Hamilton set for shock switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025