WIN-WIN SITUATION
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move, the biggest driver signing in F1 history, carries delicious prospects for both the team and the ace racer
London, England - Lewis Hamilton’s recent move to Ferrari is probably the biggest driver signing in F1 history.
We’ve seen big-name moves before, of course, but few come close to being quite this meaningful. Emerson Fittipaldi leaving Lotus for Mclaren, Alain Prost’s defection from Mclaren to Ferrari and Nigel Mansell’s sensational switch to Indycar were all worthy of note.
Ayrton Senna’s move from Mclaren to Williams and Michael Schumacher’s from Benetton to Ferrari were seismic as they were both, at the time, the only active champions in the sport. Schumacher’s was even more so as he moved from the title-winning team to one in the midst of a rebuild. Hamilton’s move from Mclaren to Mercedes was huge news, but although highly regarded he was, at the time, only a one-time title winner.
Nicki Lauda, Prost and Schumacher were all pulled out of retirement for high-profile returns with Mclaren, Williams and Mercedes respectively, and one can’t overlook Sir Jack Brabham’s decision to go it alone and set up his own team in 1962 as a twotime champion.
But this is different. This is the most successful driver in the history of the sport moving to the most successful team in the history of the sport.
The last time that happened? Over seven decades ago, when Juan Manuel Fangio, then a three-time champion and the most successful driver in the then only six-year-old world championship, also joined Ferrari from Mercedes.
While the constructors’ championship didn’t exist back then, Ferrari’s 20 wins over those six years made them, at the time, the most successful team in the sport’s young history.
Hamilton was never going to race for Mercedes forever. Indeed, the short-term nature of his only recently penned Mercedes deal is what seemingly allowed a well-timed phone call from Maranello to bring the previously unbreakable alliance to an end.
Had Hamilton won an eighth
While Lewis Hamilton is already hungry to return to the top step of the podium and the fight for the world crown, don’t underestimate the increased desire a change in team can also create
title in 2021, there’s every chance he might have walked off into the sunset. Perhaps, then, this is the best for both, to enable them to finally move onto the future.
Hamilton’s detractors will say that Ferrari won’t be getting him at his brilliant best.
But there are only three drivers in modern day Formula 1 who we could term to be the complete racer: Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen.
For all the accolades we can bestow on their rivals, none can yet claim to be at the same level.
And while Hamilton is already hungry to return to the top step of the podium and the fight for the world crown, don’t underestimate the increased desire a change in team can also create.
So what Ferrari gains is what Mercedes loses. While George Russell could be presented with a great opportunity, what
Charles Leclerc gains is the ultimate benchmark. The ability to compare and contrast with one of the greatest and discover from whence that sprinkling of magic dust comes, and if he can recreate it.
But it's not just championshipwinning know-how behind the wheel that Ferrari is set to gain. With a world champion driver comes the magnetic appeal of star quality. The best engineers, designers, mechanics – even sponsors – gravitate to the best drivers.
Even though it’s a year away, attention will quickly swing to Hamilton and Ferrari.
Because F1 now has its dream duo: a fact best illustrated by the seven per cent jump in Ferrari’s share price soon after the news broke, equating to a £4bn increase.
Ferrari has already started making plays in its recruitment drive, so expect to see even more big names join Hamilton’s quest at the Scuderia.