Formula One “silly season” has started early in 2025, as Max Verstappen is in talks with Mercedes about a potential move from Red Bull.
George Russell confirmed as much at the Austrian Grand Prix, making waves in the Formula One world as rumours turned into reports.
F1 driver moves happen frequently, and the 2025 season saw eight drivers in new teams. But rarely do drivers of the calibre of Verstappen, the best driver on the F1 grid in the middle of their prime, make a switch to a rival contender.
When these moves happen, they can change the course of history. Here, we take a look at the five biggest driver moves in the sport’s history.
5. Sebastian Vettel: Red Bull to Ferrari (2015)
It may not have led to a championship, but Red Bull’s greatest ever driver at the time, Sebastian Vettel, leaving the team after four Drivers’ Championships to join Ferrari sent shockwaves in the F1 world.
Ferrari, F1’s most iconic team, had failed to win a single race in 2015 for the first time since 1993. They had not been able to match the dominant Mercedes in the new turbo-hybrid era, and finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Then there was Vettel, who had won four straight Drivers’ titles going into 2014 but couldn’t keep up with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes that year.
He brought them back to the pinnacle almost immediately. Vettel won improbably in Malaysia, beating both Mercedes in the wet with a phenomenal drive.
That was the start of the fierce rivalry between Vettel and Hamilton, as the German pushed the Brit intensely throughout his championship winning run.
4. Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari (2025)
This one is fresh in the memory, but it can be remembered as the most shocking move in the sport’s history.
Formula One’s most successful driver, Hamilton, joined forces with its most successful team, Ferrari, in one of the most iconic driver moves of all time.
Hamilton’s Mercedes legacy will live forever, winning a record-tying seven Drivers’ Championships, and record-breaking eight-straight Constructors’ Championships in their time together.
We have yet to see how Hamilton’s move to Ferrari will unfold, but the impact of the surprise and the combination of the brands alone means it will be remembered, regardless of the result.
3. Ayrton Senna: Lotus to McLaren (1988)
Ayrton Senna set the stage for what may be still the biggest rivalry in Formula One history.
At Lotus, the Brazilian had proved himself as one of the sport’s brightest talents, winning six races in three years. He was a master of qualifying, taking 16 pole positions, and was ready for the next step into a contending car by 1998.
But at McLaren, Senna became a legend. He won three championships in six seasons, the youngest driver to ever do it, and his move sparked a rivalry with teammate Alain Prost, which is now the story of legends.
Two of Formula One’s all-time greats locked horns. Prost was a two-time champion in F1 when Senna arrived, but Senna immediately won the world title in his first season with his new team.
Prost responded by beating Senna to the Drivers’ title in ‘89 after an infamous crash at Suzuka won him the championship.
The Frenchman moved to Ferrari for the 1990 season, and Senna reclaimed his title with McLaren, and won again in 1990. Senna left for Williams in 1994, marking the end of an iconic partnership.
2. Michael Schumacher: Benetton to Ferrari (1996)
Michael Schumacher’s move to Ferrari turned him from a champion to an icon, creating a dynasty with the Scuderia.
It was a questionable move at the time. The German, already a double world champion with Benetton, was moving to a struggling Ferrari team that hadn’t won a championship of any sort in 13 years.
And there was no immediate success for Schumacher. He won three races in his first year, in a car that wasn’t close to contending for a title. He came close in ‘97 and ‘98, and while Ferrari won the Constructors’ in ‘99, Schumacher broke his leg in Silverstone and missed a large part of the season.
From 2000, however, he created a legacy. Schumacher won an unprecedented five straight Drivers’ Championships, winning 11 races in 2001 to equal Juan Manuel Fangio’s record, and 13 races in 2004.
His time with Ferrari ended in 2006 as he retired (for the first time). He joined as a two-time champion, and left as Ferrari’s greatest ever driver, and to some, Formula One’s greatest ever.
1. Lewis Hamilton: McLaren to Mercedes (2013)
Another move that was frowned upon, yet another move that created an iconic partnership — the most successful in the sport’s history.
Hamilton won his first Drivers’ title in 2008, his second season in F1, but his McLaren team could not get close to Red Bull over the course of Vettel’s dominant run.
No one thought Mercedes were the solution to Hamilton’s championship ambitions in 2013, however. They were a midfield team that finished fifth in the Constructors’ in 2012. But Hamilton made the shocking gamble.
Mercedes showed signs of contention in Hamilton’s first season, finishing second as a team and fourth in the Drivers’. The introduction of new regulations catapulted them to the top of the order.
The turbo-hybrid era, starting in 2014, was dominated by Mercedes and Hamilton. It resulted in an era of dominance never before seen in F1 history. The Brit won six Drivers’ titles, and Mercedes a record eight straight Constructors’ titles.
Hamilton became statistically the most successful driver in F1 history, breaking the records for the most wins and pole positions. His move to Mercedes gave him the platform to become arguably the greatest Formula One driver of all time.