Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff’s first words after Mercedes F1 split announced

Lewis Hamilton has spoken for the first time about his shock decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the 2024 F1 season.

The seven-time world champion has activated a release clause in his Mercedes contract, signed just last summer, to pull of one of the biggest driver transfers in F1 history.

After a day full of speculation and rumours, Hamilton has finally broken his silence on his impending departure from Mercedes, which will signal the end of an 11-year partnership with the team.

Hamilton is F1’s most successful driver and won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes between 2014 and 2020.

"I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together,” Hamilton said.

"Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions 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 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.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also reacted to the news, saying: "In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that's something we can look back on with pride.

“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, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024."