Key factor behind Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 exit revealed

Following increased speculation that Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari will be announced imminently, further details as to why the decision has been made have emerged.

RacingNews365 has gathered information from trusted technical sources which indicate that Loic Serra’s departure has played a key role in Hamilton’s decision.

Serra was the Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes before being poached by Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.

RacingNews365 understands that Serra was at odds with the Mercedes technical staff headed by Mike Elliott.

Serra considered the W13 and W14 projects to be following the wrong direction due to a very long wheelbase and floor.

It now seems that both Serra and Hamilton were aligned with their concerns about the 2022-spec car, which was built under revised technical regulations.

"Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car," Hamilton said during the 2023 season. "I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need.

"And I think it's really about accountability, it's about owning up and saying 'yeah, you know what, we didn't listen to you, it's not where it needs to be and we've got to work’.”

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It is worth contextualising the moment when Serra accepted the Maranello offer - the reshuffle with the return of James Allison to the Technical Director position came after Serra had made his mind up to leave.

Serra was already out of the picture but Allison wished to have him alongside the team due to the important role he held in the pre-2022 successes.

Serra’s move to Ferrari will also see him arrive with a group of technicians who have been unavailable to Allison for months.

Despite the concerns, Allison penned a long-term deal with Mercedes alongside Team Principal Toto Wolff to spearhead the recovery towards the front of the F1 field.

The W15, which Mercedes hopes will be a more consistent front-runner, is said to be more balanced and predictable - but not a rocket.

While it has secured the futures of Wolff and Alisson, it seems Mercedes will be forced to move forward without Hamilton in its arsenal.