Here's the thing. F1 teams not only acquire drivers just to drive. They acquire them also for their experience and by giving their inputs to the team's engineers in how to tweak and set up the car. Vettel's position in Aston Martin was something like it imo.
And at over 40, Hamilton's reflexes are still sharp. So with a decent car, he still could win races at any given weekend. It's not like Raikonnen in that last season he retired when you could see there were a few times he could've caused a crash as it was starting to look like he was losing his reflexes as an F1 driver.
And at over 40, Hamilton's reflexes are still sharp. So with a decent car, he still could win races at any given weekend. It's not like Raikonnen in that last season he retired when you could see there were a few times he could've caused a crash as it was starting to look like he was losing his reflexes as an F1 driver.
Of course, a driver also has to be strong in terms of development. Michael Schumacher, for example, was one such driver who helped build up a team over the years, as he did at Ferrari and Mercedes.
Hamilton's reflexes will also fade, but he's still fully motivated. In Räikkönen's case, I don't think it was just only his reflexes, but he wasn't fully focussed and was depressed because of the bad car.
Yeah, cos you were saying you didn't understand Ferrari's move because Hamilton is 'old'. It totally makes a lot of sense as they're team has been sucking for the past what...? The past decade? Acquiring Hamilton's services and what he could give to the team would be very invaluable. It's a good move imho. And he's gonna give the team some grit on the grid. He could prolly teach LecLerc a thing or two to win vs Verstappen.
As for his reflexes, they aren't fading fading yet. He could be like a Messi or a Ronaldo... Both ageless wonders.
His reflexes are still in great condition. There are many much younger drivers who make more mistakes than him.
It is said Ferrari are going to pay him 100+ million dollars a year. This would also be a good motivation for Hamilton. 
When I first saw the news on X I thought that it must be another speculation or so. But in a short time we got an official confirmation by Mercedes F1 team directly. I can't even imagine how disappointed Sainz is after learning about this deal. Because he was trying to extend his contract just as Leclerc did newly.
This depends on how strong car Ferrari have for 2025 season though. But probably it would be another season under domination of Red Bull.