Signing Hamilton ‘a risk’ for Ferrari – Montezemolo

Dec.17 (GMM) Ousting the on-form Carlos Sainz and replacing him with Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond is a “risk”.

That’s the view of former long-time Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, as anticipation builds ahead of seven time world champion Hamilton’s big move to Maranello.

With the 2024 season now over, in which 39-year-old Hamilton struggled not only for performance but perhaps also for motivation and self-confidence, his pairing with Charles Leclerc is a big topic of debate in F1 circles.

“We can also be excited about Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari,” Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko wrote in his latest column for Speed Week.

“He will have one of the strongest opponents in qualifying in Charles Leclerc. But in the race he (Hamilton) can still be world class if the car is right.

“However, we also saw at Mercedes that his motivation is limited if the car isn’t very good. He needs to know that he can get on the podium with it. He’s unlikely to go out of his way for a tenth place.”

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya is predicting a period of adjustment for Hamilton, in which it will seem like Leclerc “has the upper hand”.

“But six or seven rounds in, if the car is competitive, Lewis will win everything,” the Colombian said. “If Ferrari gives him a good car, he can definitely become champion again.”

Another former F1 driver, Marc Surer, told formel1.de: “It will be interesting. Marketing-wise it is a huge win for Ferrari. They will sell a lot of cars because of him.”

But Luca di Montezemolo, who was deeply involved with the Italian marque for several decades, thinks there is much more to the new Hamilton-Ferrari collaboration than mere marketing.

“Hamilton is a phenomenon like (Max) Verstappen,” he told Rai Gr Parlamento radio. “His arrival at Ferrari is not a marketing operation – he wants to end his career by winning in red.

“But the choice of Lewis on one hand is a risk because you take a champion who has won a lot and who comes to Ferrari to win, and on the other hand there is Leclerc who despite having good races has never won (a title) and the years go by.

“It will be a very interesting year for Ferrari, provided that they manage to bridge the gap with McLaren to start already competitive from the first race. There also must be clarity of the management within the team,” the 77-year-old Italian added.

Montezemolo also admits it’s a shame that Carlos Sainz has lost his seat.

“In these years, Ferrari’s problem has not been linked to the drivers,” he insisted. “Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are strong.”

Sky Deutschland commentator Sascha Roos agrees: “It was Sainz’s best season in his career so far, with two race wins. Leclerc was even more consistent, but it was a good pairing at Ferrari with Sainz and Leclerc.

“I think Ferrari will regret the Hamilton move,” he added. “It simply worked well with Sainz and Leclerc. And Sainz is not much worse than Hamilton, if at all.

“Hamilton will need a certain amount of time to get used to the car, and by then the train may have already left the station as far as the championship is concerned.

“With the way Sainz and Leclerc drove in the end – and remember the car will not change much in 2025 – Ferrari will initially be weakened with Hamilton. And I would also be very surprised if Hamilton has Leclerc clearly under control over the course of the season.”

As for Sainz, Roos concluded: “Williams was the best possible choice for him, because I can imagine that he will not stay there for long. Maybe he will go to Cadillac. And you also don’t know what else is going to happen at Red Bull.”

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