The Brit will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season after 12 years of dedicated service and six world championships. With what consequences for Ferrari and Formula 1?
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The winter transfer window on the soccer side ends on Thursday, February 1, the Formula 1 one has just opened, to everyone’s surprise, with a big client. Scuderia Ferrari has formalized the arrival, from the 2025 season, of Lewis Hamilton, six-time world champion with Mercedes.
This movement – unexpected – opens the way to many questions for the Briton, who keeps repeating that Mercedes is his “dream team”, for Ferrari, but also for the entire paddock. For franceinfo: sport, Jean Alesi, former Scuderia driver at the 201st Grand Prix, answers questions.
Why leave now?
The timing of this announcement may seem surprising, Hamilton is under contract with Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season, but a clause has allowed him to break it. The Brit is coming off two complicated seasons marked by the omnipotence of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, but also by the difficulties of his car, the W14, whose problems no one could define.
“I had high hopes for this season. I’m sure there was frustration as I asked for numerous changes and they were not made. (…) No one knew exactly what the problem was. Nobody knew how to fix it.”he pointed out to the BBC in December 2023.
The departure of Mike Elliott, the technical director, the architect of the last two – bad – Hamilton’s cars, and the return James Allison, they weren’t enough for him to stay. Tired, Lewis Hamilton is above all looking for the last challenge at the age of 39, tells franceinfo: sport Jean Alesi, former Scuderia driver (1991-1995): “I believe that Lewis has nothing more to prove, especially at Mercedes where he was a multiple world champion. It is important to have different challenges. He had to have the team’s guarantees on technical investments to have a suitable car.”
Who will be the number 1 driver at Ferrari?
If Ferrari managed to sign a contract with Lewis Hamilton, it was because it did not offer a contract extension to Carlos Sainz Jr., who, on the other hand, after the announcement of Hamilton’s arrival announced his departure at the end of the 2024 season, Charles Leclerc announced an extension “several years” January 25. How will the two drivers coexist? How will the Scuderia direct its strategy?
“Lewis is someone who knows how to integrate into the Ferrari panorama. They need someone to take these steps forward.”
Jean Alesi, former Ferrari driveron Franceinfo: sport
“WITHstrategically, Ferrari made a good movesays Jean Alesi. I don’t think there will actually be a first or second pilot. When we have orders, it’s because the pilots have taken the lead. But that mostly happens at the end of the championship.“
Last May, Charles Leclerc – who did not win the 2023 race – spoke about a possible duo with Lewis Hamilton on Canal+: “Lewis is an amazing driver. He has achieved so much in this sport. Everyone on the grid would love to have Lewis as a teammate. Everyone would learn a lot from him.”
A new association whose hierarchy could be created following racing scenarios, but where each driver will be able to contribute to the other, especially the thirteen years older Briton. “Leclerc can win everythingAlesi agrees. He will overshadow him, especially on the media front, but he will bring a very specific way of working, he is someone special.”
What can Lewis Hamilton bring them?
Own way of working, guarantees for the Scuderia’s engineers… The arrival of Lewis Hamilton in a team of horses goes beyond trophies or Charles Leclerc. During the past three years, Ferrari fought mechanically with its cars, but also strategically to beat Red Bull. “Ferrari scared many engineers with high trafficadmits Jean Alesi. Hamilton will bring credibility, technicians will follow him, he will build a team around him that will become competitive.”
The minimum to try to compete with Red Bull and Max Verstappen? “The Red Bull teams have been cooperating for more than ten years, they know exactly what to dohe admits to Alesi. To beat this well-established machine, you need people like Lewis.“
What impact on other pilots?
There will be no bigger surprise than Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari. But this is only the first movement in a long series that will follow in the coming months. Thirteen of the twenty drivers in the paddock are at the end of their contracts in 2024, including Carlos Sainz, who has yet to reveal his new team. This one stupid seasonwhich usually starts when the sunny days return, promises to be busy.
Mercedes will need to find a replacement for Lewis Hamilton to support George Russell. The Sauber team, which will become Audi in 2026, has big ambitions. “This departure will trigger a slightly crazy transfer window, he admits to Alesi. Hamilton started a game of musical chairs. It’s thereThe team that is positioning itself very strongly is Audi. It will go to the holders.“Why not Carlos Sainz, then Esteban Ocon, out of contract with Alexander Albon, has shown great things with Williams and could claim second place at Mercedes after the failure at Red Bull in 2019?