It would be a “risk” to replace Carlos Sainz, who is now in form, with Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.
As excitement mounts for seven-time world champion Hamilton’s significant move to Maranello, that is the opinion of former longtime Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
In Formula One circles, there is a lot of discussion over Hamilton’s pairing with Charles Leclerc after the 2024 season, in which the 39-year-old driver battled not only with performance but also with motivation and self-confidence.
In his most recent Speed Week piece, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko stated, “We can also be excited about Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.” Charles Leclerc will be one of his toughest opponents in qualifying. However, if the car is correct, Hamilton can still be a world-class competitor.
But we also observed at Mercedes that if the automobile isn’t particularly excellent, he isn’t as motivated. He must be aware that he can use it to stand on the podium. He probably won’t make a special effort to finish in ninth place.
According to former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, Hamilton will go through a period of transition during which Leclerc “has the upper hand.” “But if the car is competitive, Lewis will win everything after six or seven rounds,” the Colombian stated. “He can definitely win the championship again if Ferrari gives him a good car.”
“It will be interesting,” Marc Surer, another former Formula One driver, told formel1.de. It is a major win for Ferrari in terms of marketing. Because of him, they will sell a lot of vehicles.
However, Luca di Montezemolo, who spent decades working closely with the Italian brand, believes that the new Hamilton-Ferrari partnership is about much more than just marketing.
Like (Max) Verstappen, Hamilton is a phenomenon, he said on Rai Gr Parlamento radio. He wants to finish his career by winning in red, so his move to Ferrari is not a marketing ploy.
However, selecting Lewis is risky because you are taking a champion who has won a lot of races and who comes to Ferrari to win, while Leclerc has never won a title despite having fantastic races, and the years pass.
If Ferrari is able to close the gap with McLaren and begin competing from the first race, it will be a very exciting year. The team’s management must also be clear,” the 77-year-old Italian continued.
Montezemolo acknowledges that Carlos Sainz’s seat loss is unfortunate.
“The drivers have not been connected to Ferrari’s issue in recent years,” he maintained. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are strong. With two race victories, it was Sainz’s strongest season to date, according to Sky Deutschland pundit Sascha Roos. Sainz and Leclerc made a strong combination at Ferrari, although Leclerc was even more reliable.
He went on to say, “I believe Ferrari will regret the Hamilton move.” “With Sainz and Leclerc, it just worked well.” Furthermore, Sainz isn’t all that much worse than Hamilton.
In terms of the championship, Hamilton will require some time to adjust to the car, and by that time the train might have already departed the station.