(Checks calendar- Nope not April 1st, February 1st.)
Hard to describe the breaking news today in a way that truly shows the seismic shift in F1 racing. The best I can come up with is if Justin Timberlake had left N'Sync to sing for Backstreet Boys (two of the biggest boy bands in the 90's, for those not in the know).
So, what happened???? This guy, Lewis Hamilton, considered to be one of the best F1 drivers in the history of the sport, most well-known, fan favorite, huge brand recognition, and having been knighted by the Queen of England, and has won seven drivers championships (and would've been a record-setting eight, if it weren't for the fiasco of the last race in 2021, which you can read about here: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/33310763/michael-masi-removed-f1-race-director-abu-dhabi-investigation ) has left this team, which he has been with for almost a decade,
to race for this very world-famous team starting in 2025:
Current F1 fan reaction right now across the world:
So while the 2024 Formula One season, which starts in a few weeks, finds all twenty drivers in their same seats (that hasn't happened in a while!), the 2025 season is going to see a shake-up starting with the Hamilton/Ferrari partnership. One of the happiest people on the planet will be this guy, Ferrari's other driver (all ten teams have two drivers), Charles LeClerc.
Those eyes! Swoon!
As for LeClerc's current driving partner, Carlos Sainz, he is now a F1 race car driver without a seat or a team once the 2024 season ends. Where will he end up? On another team, or wait till Audi is officially selected to be the 11th F1 team to join the racing grid?
How will he handle racing for a team that is dumping him once the season ends? Will he tank his races? I don't think so, as Sainz is a competitor and races to win, no matter what the circumstances. He is also well-liked amongst his fellow drivers, who look up to him as a bit of a father figure.
A more interesting question is how will Mercedes handle Hamilton in the 2024 season. Teams discourage their drivers from competing against each other, which they sometimes do. Will Mercedes lean more on advancing Hamilton's teammate, George Russell in the upcoming races? I think they mostly will not, as they want to win just as much as every other team and driver does. While I take some deep-breathing exercises, you can read a more detailed story on this shocking F1 news here: https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/39436842/what-lewis-hamilton-move-means-ferrari-mercedes-f1
And Elmo, I would NOT ask how the folks over at the Netflix series "Drive to Survive" are doing. They stopped filming when the 2023 season was done, and won't start filming for the current 2024 season until late February. At least we will now know how the first episode of the series will start when it debuts in 2026!
Current mood at "Drive to Survive" production crew:
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