Sri Lanka, Feb. 2 -- Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for the 2025 season, the teams announced on Thursday.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mercedes said that Hamilton, who was contracted with the team until the end of 2025, "has activated a release option in the contract announced last year."

Ferrari, meanwhile, announced that the British driver would be joining the team on a "multi-year contract."

In a statement on the Mercedes website, Hamilton said: "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together.

"Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave ...