Button finds Hamilton brave: "Not just going to another team"

Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari is a real shock in the Formula 1 world. Hardly anyone had seen it coming after the Brit extended his contract at Mercedes through 2025. Even Hamilton's former teammate, Jenson Button, told Sky Sports he was surprised by the high-profile transfer.

"I'm surprised, yeah," said the 2009 world champion. "I mean this is massive for the sport. If Lewis stayed at Mercedes, if they won races next year or didn’t win races, it would have been good. But having this shift to Ferrari, it’s massive."

Hamilton and Mercedes have been together for over a decade now. It is a team he knows well, and they have enjoyed success together. He won the world championship six times during his time at the Silver Arrows. In addition, partly due to his dominant period with the team, he has achieved the most wins and the most pole positions for drivers of all time.

According to Button, it is, therefore, brave of Hamilton to go to Ferrari now: "He’s not just going to another team – he’s going to Ferrari. He’s going to a team where they speak Italian, a language he doesn’t know, a language that Charles does know very well. This is a biggie, so I’m excited about this, and it’s great for F1," he added.