€14,400 yearly bonus for every Ferrari employee as Lewis Hamilton's debut looms large

Ferrari will reportedly pay their employees an early bonus of €14,400 after registering a profit in its end-of-2024 accounts ahead of the debut of Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time F1 world champion officially joined the Italian team on January 20 after announcing his move to Maranello last year in February following his exit from Mercedes.

The British driver got some decent track time under his belt in the new machinery after taking part in TPC in that 2023 challenger and last year's SF-24 at the Circuit de Catalunya this week.

There was more good news in store, as RacingNews365 reported, Ferrari's net revenues were €6.67 billion, up 11.8 per cent year over year compared to 2023, while net profit soared 21 per cent to €1.5 billion.

The profit will also enable the team to pay a bonus of €14,400 to each of its 5,000 employees, compared to a bonus of €13,500 in 2023. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna spoke to the media and said:

"We expect robust growth also in 2025, which will allow us to reach the top end of most of our 2026 profitability targets one year ahead of schedule. We focus on revenue quality rather than volumes. I believe this is the best explanation for the extraordinary financial results in 2024, driven by a strong product mix and growing demand for customization."

Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc will hope to combine to bring the glory back to Maranello in the upcoming season after the team finished P2 in the Constructor's Championship.

---

Lewis Hamilton's replacement comments on taking the Brit's seat in 2025

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli stated that he took over the seat from Lewis Hamilton in 2025, and termed it a "big responsibility." Speaking with the New York Times (The Athletic), the Italian called the opportunity a "privilege" given that the upcoming season would be his first in the sport, saying:

“I’m the next Mercedes driver and I’m taking the seat of someone who made history in the sport, so it’s a big privilege. It’s a big responsibility, but I’ve got the right people around me. There’s a lot more hype around, of course, heading into next season. Definitely, you feel a bit of responsibility because you know you’ve got Italy behind you.

"Everyone expects me to be successful, especially because I’ll be racing a Mercedes. But it’s also really exciting. I cannot wait for next year to get started, and also I cannot wait for my home race at Imola. I would love to see so many Italians cheering."

Lewis Hamilton raced for Mercedes for 12 years and achieved six of his seven driver's titles with the team in the period between 2014 to 2020 and led them to eight successive from 2014 to 2021.