When Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, the headlines naturally focused on his salary. But away from the top-line figure, there are other details in the deal worth noting.
Joining Ferrari came with a hefty pay increase for Hamilton, pushing his annual salary to £44 million. That number places him among the highest earners in all of sport.
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It’s been a slow start for him in 2024, and he hasn’t made an appearance on the podium yet. But even though his contract has drawn attention during this run of form, he still has plenty of say over what comes next.
An Italian report revealed that it’s Hamilton who holds an option for 2027—not Ferrari—meaning they would have to pay him out if they want to end things early.
Lewis Hamilton benefiting from lighter commercial load at Ferrari
Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg recently highlighted another benefit of the Ferrari move, noting on Sky Sports’ F1 Show that the British driver now faces a much lighter commercial schedule compared to his time at Mercedes.
According to Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel was only required to attend around 10 promotional events per year during his stint at Ferrari. The Italian team relies less on driver appearances due to the strength of their global brand.
The current F1 season features 24 races stretched across just under nine months, not including additional testing commitments. For Hamilton, who is now the second-oldest driver in the sport, having extra downtime away from the track is increasingly valuable.
“That was one of the reasons for Lewis’ switch to Ferrari, also,” said Rosberg. “Ferrari don’t use their drivers for sponsor dates. They have such a strong brand that they don’t have to offer their sponsors much time with drivers.”
“I heard numbers that, in Vettel’s time, it was 10 days he had to do and that was it. Especially in the twilight of your career, that’s something you value so enormously.”
“That was part of Lewis’ reason to go to Ferrari also, part of the decision-making.”
Jean Alesi questions Lewis Hamilton’s approach at the Italian Grand Prix
Hamilton’s impact at Ferrari hasn’t shown up in results yet, but he’s still finding ways to help while waiting for the SF-25 to come together. Ferrari are trusting his experience will pay off as the season moves along.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has been providing Ferrari with feedback on potential structural, operational, and mechanical changes. Vasseur brought him in from Mercedes expecting he would help raise the team’s standards.
His sixth-place finish after starting 10th due to a grid penalty gave him a more encouraging outlook by the end of the weekend.
But former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi questioned Hamilton’s attitude during qualifying. He wondered why Hamilton didn’t give Charles Leclerc a slipstream, especially since he was already set for a grid penalty.
Leclerc finished fourth, just four seconds behind the McLarens. That gap suggests a stronger qualifying run could have put him in contention for a podium spot.
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