Lewis Hamilton is understood to be tied to Ferrari until 2027, though the team haven’t publicly stated how long his contract runs.
It’s believed Hamilton signed a three-year deal with Ferrari that would keep him in red beyond his 42nd birthday. Like most driver contracts, there are exit clauses built in, offering some flexibility for both sides.
A departure this early seems unlikely, but if next season looks a lot like this one, the mood could shift. The seven-time world champion has yet to finish on the podium this year and has found it tough to build any real momentum.
Ferrari’s early exit options for Lewis Hamilton
If Ferrari were to decide they want to part ways with Lewis Hamilton before 2027 — still unlikely but no longer unthinkable — the team would almost certainly need to buy out the remainder of his contract.
Formula 1 has seen several high-profile cases of early exits in recent years. In 2022, McLaren paid Daniel Ricciardo nearly £24 million to terminate his deal so they could bring in Oscar Piastri.
Ricciardo briefly fell off the grid afterward, eventually returning for a troubled spell with AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls. He had hoped that a strong comeback would open the door to replacing the struggling Sergio Perez at Red Bull, but that opportunity never came.
Perez still lost his seat, with Red Bull paying £11 million to walk away from a one-plus-one extension agreed in June and torn up by December.
Bild reports that a similar scenario has been quietly discussed in the paddock “for some time” regarding Hamilton. Ferrari have been here before — in 2009, they handed Kimi Räikkönen a substantial severance package when they chose to replace him with Fernando Alonso.
Ferrari may have to pay Lewis Hamilton £55m to leave, Bild claim
If Ferrari were to cut ties with Hamilton before his contract ends, Bild suggests he’d be paid out for the remaining year or years. They might also try to negotiate a smaller sum.
Hamilton currently earns £55m a season at Ferrari, but even that figure would fall short of the largest payout in F1 history. Christian Horner was reportedly handed £80m by Red Bull after being let go with four years left on his deal.
Horner’s original contract would have entitled him to an even larger amount, but he agreed to take less in return for being allowed back into F1 as early as the spring.
The mood around Hamilton’s future at Ferrari isn’t positive at the moment, but he’ll be hoping that changes once the ground-effect era ends. If he can return to something close to his best form and sustain it, opinions could shift quickly.
READ MORE: Liam Lawson complicates Red Bull’s 2026 plans with latest twist in driver line-up debate
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
