F1 champion admits Hamilton exit creates Mercedes atmosphere problem

Lewis Hamilton’s former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button has said that his shock move to Ferrari will create a difficult atmosphere at Mercedes.

The world of F1 was stunned by reports that the seven-time world champion could be on the move to Maranello, and it was officially confirmed by Ferrari on Thursday evening that Hamilton will join the team for the 2025 season on a ‘multi-year contract.’

Hamilton will have the 2024 season with the Brackley-based team and when he does depart at the end of the year, there will be a seat vacant at Mercedes to partner George Russell, who is contracted to the team until 2025.

Speaking on the F1 Show with Sky Sports F1, Button believes that the atmosphere at Mercedes will not be easy and that they could potentially hold things back from Hamilton, while Russell looks ahead to his new team-mate.

Button: Atmosphere at Mercedes won't be easy

“It’s not easy,” he said.

“What do they hold back from Lewis? I mean he knows the ins and outs of this team very well anyway. But when they get down to the nitty-gritty, are there going to be certain things that they hold back from Lewis? Possibly.

“And for George [Russell], he’s got to start thinking about a new team-mate again. Is it going to be someone like one of his karting rivals, Alex Albon? Or is it going to be Fernando Alonso? The guy that just doesn’t go away! He’s always there fighting for the top spots in the top teams. Who knows.

“This definitely makes it an interesting year for us. Looking forward to 2025 already, we still have another year of Formula 1 to look forward to, but 2025, yeah, this is proper exciting.

“Buit for Lewis, this is a brave move and a lot of respect to him, because he’s not just going to another team, he’s going to Ferrari! He’s going to a team that speak Italian, a language he doesn’t know. A language that Charles does know very well. This is a biggie.”

READ MORE: F1 2025 Driver Lineup: How the grid looks with Hamilton at Ferrari

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