Hamilton, Ricciardo, Vettel: The biggest F1 driver transfer shocks

Today (February 1st), marks exactly one year since Lewis Hamilton's shock move to Ferrari was announced - taking the F1 world by surprise.

RacingNews365 has taken a look back at the events of that unusual day which can be read here - and we have also rounded up some of what we believe to be the biggest F1 driver transfers of all-time. 

Check out our options below and make sure to vote in the poll at the end to let us know what you think - or indeed if we have missed someone off the list!

Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari - 2024

It is perhaps the biggest driver move of all-time as statistically the greatest driver joins F1's most successful team. 

Hopes of Hamilton ever joining Ferrari were seemingly dashed by his penning a new two-year deal with Mercedes in the summer of 2023. 

However, on February 1st, 2024 news broke of Hamilton's bombshell move to Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz finding that 16+44 does not equal 55. 

Hamilton is hoping for the fairytale end to his career of being the man to bring the world championship back to Ferrari - and in doing so, win his record-breaking eighth world title.

Daniel Ricciardo to Renault - 2018

Daniel Ricciardo was seemingly all set to sign fresh terms to stay with Red Bull for 2019 as it entered its Honda-era, but after a flight to the United States in the summer break, changed his mind.

Boss Christian Horner thought Ricciardo was joking when the Australian informed him of his decision - one that, with hindsight, would prove to be a catastrophic mistake.

Ricciardo only scored two podiums with Renault and even agreed to move to McLaren for 2021 before the 2020 season even started. 

He would win one race for McLaren, but repeated poor performances led to him being axed for 2023 and despite an AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls lifeline, his career petered out after the 2024 Singapore GP. 

Nico Rosberg retires - 2016

The ultimate mic-drop moment, as five days after taking Hamilton's world title, Rosberg retired, ensuring Hamilton could never win it back from him. 

The German detailed the extraordinary lengths he went to to defeat Hamilton in 2016, and that he was not prepared to put him or his family through that again having achieved his goal of being world champion. 

Rosberg was the first F1 world champion since Alain Prost's 1993 success not to come back and defend his title the following season.

Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari - 2014

After 38 wins and four world titles in five years, Sebastian Vettel and the turbo hybrid era did not get off to the best start.

Red Bull's Renault engine was well off the pace and unreliable, and he retired from the first race in Australia after a torrid pre-season. 

He did take four podium finishes, but was shown up by Ricciardo, in his first season after replacing Mark Webber.

He announced over the Japanese GP weekend that he was off to Ferrari for 2015, replacing Fernando Alonso and with hopes of emulating his hero Michael Schumacher.

Vettel had two realistic title attempts in 2017 and 2018, and should have won the latter, but ultimately, his Ferrari career ended in failure despite the promise he showed after winning in Malaysia in just his second race with the team.

Michael Schumacher to Mercedes - 2009

Michael Schumacher never wanted to leave Ferrari in 2006, but was pushed out so the team could sign Kimi Raikkonen for '07.

It left an itch he wanted to scratch, but a planned comeback in 2009 to replace the injured Felipe Massa was stopped after he sustained a neck injury on a motorcycle.

But just before Christmas in 2009, it was announced that he was coming back to F1 with Mercedes - in its first works attack on F1 since 1955 after buying the championship-winning Brawn team.

Schumacher's comeback was not a success with just one podium in three seasons, but he did help to do some of the donkey work in turning the team around into title winners come 2014. 

Fernando Alonso to McLaren - 2005, 2014

Moments after winning the 2005 world championship in Brazil, Alonso was congratulated by McLaren boss Ron Dennis - who jokingly offered him a seat.

To his surprise, Alonso signalled he would love to sign for McLaren, and so a deal was agreed by which he would drive for Renault once again in 2006 before joining McLaren for '07. 

He was the reigning double world champion, and had 'retired' Schumacher and was the 'man to beat'. But Hamilton had other ideas.

The two fell out over team orders with Dennis unable to control his drivers, something of a surprise from the man who had to deal with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, with it coming to a head in Hungary.

Alonso would later be alleged to have demanded Hamilton be made to run out of fuel in the race after the qualifying block he put on Hamilton - who ignored a team order.

Dennis would not stand for that and eventually, the two made an uneasy truce, but Alonso was done at McLaren - especially with Spygate bubbling away in the background.

If that was a surprise, then Alonso's return to Woking in 2014 for the '15 season was an even bigger one.

He and Dennis patched things up for the return of the McLaren-Honda partnership, but it turned into a nightmare after Honda's power unit was not up to scratch.

Alonso would stay until 2018, even through a switch to Renault engines, which was somewhat ironic...

Damon Hill sacked from Williams - 1996

After leading Williams through the tragic loss of Senna as a second-year driver, Damon Hill might have had some credit in the Williams bank. 

But it was not enough for Sir Frank, who after an indifferent 1995 from his lead driver, opted to make a change.

Hill found out through the media that he was being replaced for 1997, just as the '96 title fight was coming to the boil. 

He won the Japanese GP to wrap up the title and put a lump in Murray Walker's throat, becoming the first son of a world champion to win the title himself, 34 years after his father Graham won the first of his two titles.

For 1997, Hill took his #1 sticker to Arrows, but the move was a disaster, although he famously came with a couple of laps of winning in Hungary before a throttle problem allowed Jacques Villeneuve to steal the win.

Emerson Fittipaldi to Copersucar - 1976

In 1975, Emerson Fittipaldi was the reigning world champion, having delivered McLaren's first titles in 1974.

However, for 1976, he elected to jump ship to Copersucar - a home-grown team run by his brother Wilson. 

Results were largely indifferent, although he did score second place at his home GP in 1978 at Interlagos.

Another third place followed at the 1980 United States West Grand Prix, but Fittipaldi's time was done.

He would go on to win the 1989 CART championship (today's IndyCar) as well as the 1989 and 1993 Indy 500s.

One butterfly effect of his move from McLaren was that it opened up a seat for James Hunt in 1976 - leading to the famous title fight with Niki Lauda.