Lewis Hamilton will be racing with Ferrari in 2025 in what is likely to be the final Formula 1 career move for the Briton, as he goes for an eighth world title.
Initially, it looked like Hamilton would stay at Mercedes having signed an extension midway through the 2023 season. Much of Hamilton’s businesses outside of F1 tie into Mercedes too, including Tommy Hilfiger and Misson 44.
The move to Ferrari was rumoured but didn’t look like it would happen, until Mercedes slipped behind them in the Constructors’ Championship. Hamilton activiated a performance clause in his Mercedes contract, enabling him to move to Ferrari this year.
He made his debut in a Ferrari F1 car this week, with around 3,000 Tifosi fans managed to catch a glimpse of Hamilton on track at Fiorano for the first time as he took to the track in an SF-23 to complete 30 laps.
It is unknown how long Hamilton’s contract is with Ferrari, but given that he is 40 years old and the new regulations are set to come into effect in 2026, we can expect it to be at least two years. Johnny Herbert has predicted what life after F1 might look like for Hamilton, when discussing it with Damon Hill in their book Lights Out, Full Throttle.
Johnny Herbert predicted Lewis Hamilton would not do anything after F1
Although Hamilton has shown interest in MotoGP and tested a NASCAR before, Herbert thinks life after F1 would likely see him out of racing altogether.
“One thing I don’t see Lewis doing is staying in F1 after he stops driving. I could be wrong, of course, but I’d be very surprised. If he did, I personally think that would be great for the sport as his popularity transcends F1,” said Herbert.
“How many of his 14 million Instagram followers or his 4 million Facebook followers are F1 fans? Quite a few will be, I should imagine, but a lot won’t be. As long as he’s associated with the sport he’ll obviously be flying the flag.
Hamilton’s post of him at Ferrari for the first time broke F1 social media records, showing his value to the team in an instant.
Damon Hill concurs and does not see him taking on the role of driver pundit, like previous world champions Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.
“I don’t think Lewis enjoys the paddock enough to want to stay in F1 beyond his driving years,” said Hill.
Lewis Hamilton set himself up for life after F1 a long time ago
The reality for Hamilton is that he has been setting himself up for life after F1 for a long time now, whether it’s through his fashion projects, music production or STEM projects.
Mission 44 was set up in 2020 as a charity to empower young people, particularly from black communities, to get into STEM jobs.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Hamilton has also produced his own music before, having revealed snippets of it on his social media channels and appeared on a Christiana Aguilera song under the pseudonym ‘XNDA’.
He is also a brand ambassador for Dior and helped design some of their fashion lineups in recent years. Life after F1 will likely involve a culmination of all those projects, knowing that most sports people often become yesterday’s news once they retire.
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