As reported earlier by Autosport, Hamilton is set to be announced imminently as a Ferrari driver from 2025 after agreeing a shock switch from Mercedes.
An official announcement on his departure from the German manufacturer to join the Maranello squad alongside Charles Leclerc could be made as early as Thursday night.
Autosport understands that Mercedes staff were informed of the development in a factory meeting at Brackley on Thursday afternoon, which was hosted by boss Toto Wolff and technical director James Allison.
Mercedes will now need to ponder what it does in the long term when it comes to replacing Hamilton, with obvious targets like Lando Norris and Leclerc already contracted elsewhere.
Neither Ferrari nor Mercedes have made an official comment on the developments surrounding Hamilton, which has sent shockwaves through F1.
But the wider impact of Hamilton’s decision has been clear to the wider world with Ferrari’s company value rocketing as the New York Stock Exchange opened.