Lewis Hamilton announces big news about his future

Lewis Hamilton has had a difficult start to life at Ferrari. 

During the first 14 races of the season, the seven-time world champion has yet to secure a single podium finish.

At the most recent Grand Prix in Hungary he finished a disappointing 12th, his worst result of 2025. 

His remarks after the race left many wondering when he labelled himself “useless” and mentioned that Ferrari might want to consider a new driver.

At the same time Hamilton has used his Instagram profile to add fuel to the speculation. 

A short video shows a matchbox with the date 08.08 followed by black-and-white images of volcanoes and architecture. 

The post reads: – We have struck the match. Follow the smoke.

No further explanation followed, and fans quickly began to speculate about the meaning.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton)

Some feared it could be a farewell to Formula 1, while others guessed at a career move away from Ferrari or perhaps a completely new business idea.

Reactions and denials

When asked about the mysterious date, Hamilton merely replied with a smile and repeated the sentence about following the smoke. 

That has hardly dampened the speculation, but according to PlanetF1 there is nothing to suggest that the Briton is about to leave the sport. 

His contract with Ferrari runs until the end of 2026 with an option for another year, and with the new technical regulations coming into force in 2026, Hamilton has several reasons to stick around.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also made it clear that the frustrations from Hungary should not be misunderstood:

– He is frustrated, but not demotivated.

Vasseur described Hamilton as a demanding but committed partner who has taken the initiative on several proposals for change both technically and organisationally. 

Hamilton himself has also been clear:

– I am not where I want to be yet, but the fight is not over. Do not count me out.

A detour from Formula 1?

Instead, much points to the upcoming announcement being about something outside Formula 1.

Over the years Hamilton has built up his portfolio of projects from the charity foundation Mission 44 to collaborations with brands such as Dior. 

Over the past year he has also signed sponsorship deals with, among others, Lululemon, the American AI platform Perplexity and the trading platform CFI E&.

It is possible that he is now launching his own brand within fashion, perfume or interior design, or perhaps he is embarking on a new initiative aimed at social justice. 

We will only get the answer on Friday 8 August.