Arturo Merzario, a legend of Formula 1 in the 1970s, has shared his thoughts on the Lewis Hamilton–Ferrari pairing.
When, on February 1st 2024, the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Scuderia Ferrari was officially announced, the hopes of the tifosi of the Prancing Horse were reignited after years of disappointment and frustration. The signing of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion was seen as a turning point, a move that could finally bring Ferrari back to the top. However, the expectations placed on Hamilton’s shoulders have so far not been met. Since the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the British driver has struggled with major difficulties adapting to the Ferrari SF-25, to the extent that persistent rumours have already emerged about the possibility of an early exit before the natural expiry of his contract.
In an interview, Arturo Merzario, former Ferrari driver and one of the most recognisable figures of the 1970s racing scene, who himself once experienced an early and difficult departure from Maranello, gave his opinion on the challenging circumstances Hamilton is now facing.
The words of Merzario
“In 1973 I chose to leave the team,” recalled Arturo Merzario in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “When I pulled Mauro Forghieri out of trouble, life for me at Ferrari had become extremely complicated. So I made my decision [to leave the Scuderia] before taking part in the final races of the season.”
Merzario explained that he knows very well what it feels like to be part of a Ferrari team in a moment of crisis. For this reason, he encouraged Lewis Hamilton not to give up: “It is not over. He is just waiting for the right opportunity. He will only take risks when it is truly necessary, not for an eighth place finish. Also because, if he ever really wanted to leave, he would immediately find another team willing to welcome him. Hamilton has already shown what he is capable of. His situation is different compared to Charles Leclerc: Charles still has to prove that he is a true champion.”
The former Italian driver, however, did not hide his doubts about the motivations behind the whole Hamilton–Ferrari operation: “In my opinion, Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello was above all a commercial move. At least from what I know, 90% of the people inside Ferrari were not in agreement with the decision. And then, when a driver does not feel valued or truly considered an integral part of the group that is supposed to achieve a common objective, he inevitably loses motivation. Why should he torture himself trying to find three extra tenths of a second in performance only to end up starting from the third row of the grid anyway?”
The difficult Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, which culminated with Lewis Hamilton describing himself as “useless” in the post-qualifying interviews, confirmed the signs of unease. Merzario added his interpretation: “I believe that his outburst was ironic, at least partly. But certainly, his current situation is far from what a seven-time world champion could have imagined when he joined Ferrari. To me, it seems more that Lewis feels ‘demolished’ by Ferrari.”
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