Did Ferrari really need Lewis Hamilton?
Lewis Hamilton's move to Scuderia Ferrari is certainly gaining headlines off-track, but was it necessary for on-track results?
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Fred Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton (via XPB images)
Lewis Hamilton will race for Scuderia Ferrari this year. The seven-time world champion was signed by the Italian team for 2025 even before the start of last season. This announcement shocked the sporting world as fans never expected the Briton to leave Mercedes.
Hamilton had struggled in recent years. The 40-year-old was just not comfortable with the ground-effect cars. This is believed to be a reason behind his move to Maranello. The situation only worsened for the Briton in 2024 when he almost decided to quit during the campaign.
Ferrari under the leadership of Fred Vasseur is going through a period of transformation. The Frenchman wants to end the long title drought at Maranello with Lewis Hamilton being an integral part of the plan. However, some believe that the Scuderia could’ve achieved this trajectory without paying tens of millions to the seven-time world champion.
Ferrari had everything in order even before Lewis Hamilton deal
Ferrari had one of the strongest driver pairings of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz since 2021. The latter was left in limbo after the Scuderia signed Hamilton. Though, Sainz proved he was no slouch as he played a pivotal role in the Italian team’s second place finish in the standings.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton joins the Prancing Horse after a run of poor form. The 40-year-old showed only a few glimpses of performance last year. As such, the Scuderia might be taking a risk by bringing Hamilton at a time when it had no real reason to change its drivers.
This is something which is agreed by Carlos Sainz. The Spanish driver even has the door open for a comeback to Maranello in the future. Thus, there seems to be one real reason for Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton, after all, it is Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion is one of the biggest names in the world of sports. So much so, that experts expect him to generate $125 million for the Scuderia just by his brand image. Moreover, Hamilton ending his career at the most iconic team in history, is simply the most poetic way to end a long and illustrious journey.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2387 Articles Published)