Rumoured Lewis Hamilton contract clause takes the power away from Ferrari

Reports claim Lewis Hamilton will have power over his F1 future at Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari contract reportedly includes a clause which hands him ultimate power over his F1 future.

The seven-time world champion is believed to have signed a two-year deal until the end of the 2026 F1 season when he made the blockbuster transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari over the winter.

Hamilton’s contract is said to include a clause which would enable him to extend his stay at Ferrari into the 2027 season regardless of results, according to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, via F1-Insider

The report claims Ferrari chairman John Elkann fully supports Hamilton and has issued a collection of documents outlining the improvements required to help the 40-year-old Briton turnaround his form.

La Gazzetta state Ferrari will follow Hamilton “like a beacon in the storm”.

“There is no other choice,” the report adds, “since Elkann has decided to hire the most successful driver in history, the symbol of F1, investing huge sums in an operation that has very important commercial implications for the Prancing Horse.”

Lewis Hamilton’s turbulent start at Ferrari

Hamilton has endured a largely disappointing first half-season with Ferrari and has struggled to adapt to the team’s 2025 car.

He remains without a grand prix podium after 14 races and has been outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc, who has scored five podiums. 

A rare positive for Hamilton came in China when he produced a phenomenal performance to claim a sprint pole position and victory in just his second competitive outing with Ferrari.

Last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton declared himself useless after qualifying a lowly 12th, before going on to finish in the same position in the race.

A despondent Hamilton suggested Ferrari should “change driver” during his latest underwhelming weekend and his cryptic comments raised questions over his future.

"It's me every time,” Hamilton said after his poor qualifying. "I'm useless, absolutely useless.

"The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So they probably need to change driver."

Hamilton has been backed to turn things around by both Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, as well as his teammate Leclerc. 

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