Pretty simple : If a Charles Leclerc in top form is not able to beat a 40-year-old Lewis then he does not deserve to be the top driver of a top team!
But surely Lewis Hamilton can't be the FUTURE of Ferrari, can he? There is only one winner in that move, and he is Lewis. As for Ferrari, sorry but I fail to see any benefit, once the hype of announcement has dissipated: I just see a huge pile of money thrown out of the window, once again. And, contray to what someone wrote above, Enzo would NEVER have signed Lewis, not at that price; remember he cut short discussions with Senna saying that "the financial expectations of this young man were "imaginativo". Can't see any benefit for Ferrari at all. Rgds
I guess we can’t see the whole picture right now. In the end Charles could be the winner of a very strong Ferrari team.. Who knows ? Vasseur has a plan it seems.
You know as well as I do that we are entertaining ourselves about "plans that they have and we don't see" since 2007; meanwhile, as far as I know, and I have just checked again to be sure, the last Ferrari WDC is still the "Iceman", in 2007. And they have had "plans that we don't know about" every year since. Or did they? Sorry, but this move doesn't seem smart at all to me (except for Lewis: well done L.H). Ferrari could have had a young gun such as Piastri or Norris, etc...for one twentieth of the cost. And that would have been looking into the future, not into the past and enhancing the pension plan of a future retiree. But what do I know? Rgds
Post #536 on page 22 on this same thread. That should give you some insight on Ferrari's plans with Hamilton. It's a win win situation monetarily for all parties involved and a market segment Ferrari wants to Tap into.
We will see.. Vasseur isn’t a clown for sure. Vigna has a big ego either. My guess is that the company is making huge profits with incoming years at least on the same level. Money is no more a problem for them. Elkan and Vigna decided after the Binotto episode to win at all costs. This is the beginning of a new era (2026) And a new PU rumored as the class of the field already .. Only my hypothesis of course.
The fool that I am, Joe! You know what? I thought this was all about seing once again a driver crowned WDC at the wheel of a Ferrari... And IF (if...) the game is still to have a driver crowned WDC at the wheel of a Ferrari, well, my bet wouldn't have been on Lewis. But Kudos to him, he played the best hand of the deal, and by far... (Right now, Charles might have reasons to feel slightly bitter; and I would follow their confrontation with interest, Lewis been prone to a lapse of mind or two when confronted to a strong team mate...) Rgds
I sincerely hope this is fake news. $100m a year? I'm sure that money could've been spent better. But Elkann being Elkann once again
Your reasoning is a bit simplistic, IMO. It depends if Hamilton is left to influence the running of the team. He has plenty of experience and know-how to share, and may be listened to more than Leclerc. If the support and strategy switch priority from Leclerc to Hamilton, the Monegasque is cooked.
I admire you (I really do, no "second degree" here) for being an optimist.... My feeling is that whenever the rules changes, the ace in the sleeve is called Adrian Newey. Rgds
Simplistic ? I don’t think so. In an ideal world we could have a win-win situation with both drivers fighting for championship in 2026. And Charles winning in the end.
Wait for it.....it's more than the $80 plus $20 million a year. There's more money involved...alot more. Loic Serra, French Engineer (Hamiltons) will join the Scuderia in 2025. I wonder if he'll have any influence in the 2026 car when the formula has a reset.
Thanks ! You are right. My other rational reasoning is telling me that you are fully right and not to be so optimistic. But hey we are tifosis on a Ferrari forum to support our favorite team ! Sorry William..
Well put. I fear Elkann's choice has nothing to do with racing or the interests of the Scuderia. In this deal, I can see Hamilton laughing all the way to the bank (good luck to him), and Vasseur wringing his hands in disgust (in private only), realising another hot potato has landed on his lap, when he tries his utmost to steer the ship sensibly.
So, that's what it comes to, from the Ferrari legacy ? I thought F1 was about racing, and the Scuderia at the heart of it. What would Enzo think about that ? I wonder.
On TV alot of people not privy to all this "inside" information won't think nothing of it. We know, here on FChat, as well as other forums I presume will see this Hamilton deal for what it really is monetarily. Also, Hamilton will be the highest paid F1 driver in 2025 and possibly not have won a title since 2020.
I can understand Hamilton's motive. As I said many time, no hard feeling, and Good Luck to him. What I can't understand is why a luxury brand like Ferrari suddenly decides to subsidise what is basically a charity which is so far from its customer base. This is what's behind this deal. You may think it's fantastic, but I find that deeply ironic.
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It's on Leclerc to beat Hamilton. Leclerc needs to step up this year and win some races, even if RBR are the class of the field again. He must show that he is entitled to the teams best resources, before Hamilton even arrives to Ferrari, imho. If Leclerc goes winless again and makes a ton of mistakes, then he's making his own bed, imho.
I don't agree. I think Vasseur wants to take a chance on Hamilton as well. Why is it so hard for people to imagine that other teams would want Hamilton, even if Mercedes no longer does?
