Enzo Ferrari’s son claims Lewis Hamilton was willing to join Maranello in 2019

Piero Ferrari recalled his conversation with Lewis Hamilton from 2017, when he realized that Maranello had lost the chance to sign the British driver for the 2019 season.

Enzo Ferrari’s son claims Lewis Hamilton was willing to join Maranello in 2019

Piero Ferrari (Via: Biography) and Lewis Hamilton (Via: Planet F1)

Lewis Hamilton will finally race for Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time world champion will leave Mercedes, a carmaker that has supported him since his junior days to join Maranello next year. Certainly, Hamilton has always loved the Italian giant and has even acquired some iconic cars from the carmaker. Now, Enzo Ferrari‘s son Piero Ferrari has revealed that the British driver was interested in joining the Scuderia for the 2019 season.

Hamilton first visited Maranello in 2017 when the British driver was looking to purchase the iconic LaFerrari. This prestigious supercar is the highlight of Lewis Hamilton’s car collection.

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During this period, the Scuderia had just renewed Sebastian Vettel‘s contract to secure the German driver till the end of the 2020 season. Piero Ferrari claimed that Lewis Hamilton told him that if Maranello had not resigned Vettel that early, he would’ve been interested in joining the Italian team in 2019.

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On that 2017 visit there was one thing that hit me. We just renewed Vettel and he [Lewis Hamilton] said, if you had waited a year, maybe in 2019 he could have piloted for you
Piero Ferrari told Quatidiano

Unfortunately, Ferrari seemingly lost the chance to sign the seven-time world champion on that occasion. Lewis Hamilton extended his contract with Mercedes the following summer. However, the Prancing Horse will finally have the F1 icon race in red in 2025 as part of a massive $430 million deal.

Can Lewis Hamilton fulfill Sebastian Vettel’s failed Ferrari dream?

Sebastian Vettel spent six seasons with Scuderia Ferrari in F1. The four-time world champion dreamt of bringing glory back to Maranello. However, Vettel failed to clinch an F1 world championship for the Italian team due to a variety of issues, be it strategic errors, driver mistakes, or unreliability. Lewis Hamilton has now followed in the footsteps of his friend and former rival.

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO).

Hamilton is as hungry as ever to claim an unprecedented eighth F1 world title. Ferrari seems to be the perfect opportunity for the British driver under the leadership of Fred Vasseur. The 39-year-old has expressed his confidence in the team by signing a contract for 2025 even before the start of the upcoming season.

Certainly, winning the world title with Ferrari would be an uphill task for Lewis Hamilton. The 39-year-old would need to adapt to the Scuderia and outperform teammate Charles Leclerc. However, the seven-time world champion remains determined to achieve more success at the pinnacle of motorsport. As such, it remains to be seen how things pan out for Hamilton at the Italian team.

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