Hidden Lewis Hamilton contract clause comes to light as Ferrari left powerless
Lewis Hamilton has complete control over whether or not his Ferrari career will end after the 2026 season. That is according to a report in Italy which claims the Scuderia has no power to stop the British driver from extending his stay into the 2027 campaign, even if they were to decide to go in a different direction.
It has been a tough adjustment for the seven-time Formula 1 champion since making the switch. He joined Ferrari in the hope of having a better chance of challenging for silverware than he feared he might get if he stuck with the Mercedes outfit he represented with distinction for more than a decade.
But there have been few highlights so far in a Ferrari shirt. The Hungarian Grand Prix last time out was a particular low point, as he failed to score a point for the first time all year, finishing 12th after a poor qualifying, following which he declared himself "useless".
Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings, just one place below team-mate Charles Leclerc but 42 points behind the Monegasque who has managed five Grand Prix podiums so far in 2025, while his British partner has yet to experience that since switching to Ferrari.
He turns 41 in January and it is clear that Hamilton is in the twilight of his remarkable F1 career. As it stands, the Ferrari contract he signed expires in 2026, though it has long been understood that his £50million-per-year deal contains an option to extend that stay for another season beyond that.
But that is not something that, according to the Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari can trigger themselves. The newspaper claims Hamilton is the one who holds the unilateral power to decide whether or not he will remain in that seat in 2027.
It is reported that the Brit was able to get such a clause inserted into his deal because of the commercial benefits his presence brings to the team and to Ferrari as a wider organisation. The company's stock price rocketed on the day the news broke that the F1 legend would be joining.
Leclerc also has a long-term contract, signed last year, which is expected to keep him tied to Ferrari until 2029. That means the Scuderia has very little wiggle room over its driver line-up for the next three years at least, given the power Hamilton wields in regards to his own future.
As for Hamilton's long-term successor, Ferrari believe they already have a star of the future on the books. Oliver Bearman is being somewhat groomed as a Ferrari driver of the future, being retained as an affiliated racer despite being signed to customer team Haas.
But the decision over when that might happen, it seems, rests with Hamilton. Though the seven-time champion is very self-aware and is unlikely to prolong his Ferrari career if he does come to the conclusion that he is no longer at the peak of his powers.
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