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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut ‘leaked’ in cryptic hint at major shakeup to F1 calendar
Australia previous hosted all but two season openers between 1996 and 2019
LEWIS HAMILTON'S first race as a Ferrari driver has been "leaked" by an iconic Formula One track.
Hamilton, 39, rocked the world of motorsport by yesterday
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He will become the 12th British racer to drive a Ferrari in F1 as he bids to win a record eighth world title.
The official Australia Grand Prix account posted a graphic suggesting Hamilton's Ferrari debut would be at Albert Park in 2025 rather than in Bahrain where the season starts this year on March 2.
However, the post was swiftly deleted.
There has been no confirmation yet on the venue of the 2025 season opener.
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It would be a major shakeup to the calendar not seen for six years.
Australia previously hosted the season opener for F1 seasons between 2011 and 2019.
Before Melbourne, Adelaide was Australia's resident F1 circuit from 1985 to 1995, though Adelaide was never a track which kick started an F1 season.
This run came to an end when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, with Austria taking over the mantle that season.
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Bahrain have hosted each of the opening races since 2021.
Between 1996 and 2019, Albert Park in Melbourne played host to F1 season openers in all but two years.
Hamilton will pocked £100million to join Ferrari in a switch that has shocked F1.
The seven-time world champion agreed to drive for F1's most famous team in 2025 and 2026.
In a statement issued by Mercedes, Hamilton, 39, said he was committed to finishing the season with Mercedes before taking on a new challenge.
He 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 was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
"But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge.
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"I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together.
"I am 100 percent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."
WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?
Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
Here, SunSport's F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri - McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes' reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo - The experienced driver's future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull's B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.
Kimi Antonelli - You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Mick Schumacher - Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you'd at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he'd still be driving in F1.
Alex Albon - A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.
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