Daniel Ricciardo claims the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move ‘threw him off’

Daniel Ricciardo was more surprised by the timing of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari announcement than the move itself.

Daniel Ricciardo claims the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move ‘threw him off’

Daniel Ricciardo [L] Lewis Hamilton [R] (images via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton will ditch Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion will join the most iconic team in the history of motorsport after spending a decade with the Silver Arrows. Certainly, Hamilton’s move to Maranello shocked the entire sporting world. However, Daniel Ricciardo reckoned that the timing of the announcement was a bigger surprise.

The Australian driver claimed that he was not astonished by Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari. Ricciardo reckoned that he could see an F1 icon such as the Lewis Hamilton race for the Scuderia at some point in his career. Moreover, the 34-year-old insisted that the Briton could have a shot at the title with the Italian team.

Not surprised in the sense that, could I have ever seen him [Lewis Hamilton] in red? Yes. I could see in his career and the legacy piece and all of that, of course. And obviously, it’s a good team, so he’s got a chance of winning there, for sure.
Daniel Ricciardo told RACER
YouTube video

Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Ferrari move was announced even before the start of the 2024 season. Usually, such a massive move is made over the summer break. Subsequently, Daniel Ricciardo admitted that he was thrown off by the timing of the announcement. So much so, that the VCARB driver claimed that the timing was a bigger surprise than Hamilton’s decision to race in red next year.

FS Video
But I was just more thrown by the timing. I think. Obviously I don’t know the internal stuff that goes on there, so obviously there’s reasons why it got announced as early as it did. But that part was what threw me more than him going to Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton aims to end Ferrari’s title drought

Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful engine manufacturer in F1 along with being the most successful team in the sport’s history. However, the Italian team has suffered a massive title drought which traces back to the 2008 season, when the team won the Constructors’ title. Since then, Maranello has failed to win a single F1 world championship.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (Via: Imago)

Lewis Hamilton could be the ideal fit for the Scuderia. The seven-time world champion achieved unprecedented success in the turbo-hybrid era with Mercedes. Subsequently, Hamilton will bring some crucial feedback and experience to Maranello which could help Ferrari in its fight for the world championship. It is no surprise that Hamilton was given a staggering $430 million contract by the Italian team.

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton is as hungry as ever to win a record-breaking eighth F1 championship in F1. The 39-year-old is confident that Ferrari might be the best opportunity to achieve this massive feat. However, it will be an uphill task for Hamilton to bring glory back to Maranello. As such, it remains to be seen how things pan out for this dream pairing in the coming years.

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