Ferrari - Lewis Hamilton: a marketing operation with a guaranteed economic return

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari have stirred up the eve of the 2024 Formula One season. The news, revealing the seven-time world champion’s future a year in advance, took center stage in a positive sense. It was a bolt from the blue, even though the Englishman’s discontent has been increasingly frequent over the last two seasons. The timing of the blitz by Ferrari caught everyone off guard, including Mercedes.

Occurred just days after the official announcement of the multi-year agreement with Charles Leclerc, the deal was somehow hidden by the negotiations for Carlos Sainz’s contract extension, which did not suggest that behind the scenes, the leaders of the red team were about to close the deal of the millennium. A week later, the opinions of insiders and fans are quite varied.

For this simple reason, it is very interesting to speculate about the future partnership, considering how the collaboration between myth and legend is perceived in undoubtedly diverse ways. In this first article today, we will try to delve into the reasons, unraveling the various themes that come to light within this unexpected and surprising scenario.

Despite not winning a Grand Prix for over two years, Lewis Hamilton’s physical integrity, motivations, and above all, speed have remained absolutely intact. After a 2022 where George Russell, on several occasions, managed to overshadow Lewis, last year Lewis Hamilton put “the church back in the center of the village.” He did so by overshadowing his young teammate.

When the mechanical means showed a higher level, the number 44 guaranteed performances of absolute value. At this moment, Hamilton is universally considered among the fastest on the grid despite being 39. In short, it seems highly unlikely that Lewis accepted the lure of Maranello to enjoy a “good retirement.” On the contrary, the choice of the Black King deserves applause.

Not all drivers would have accepted the challenge of facing a talent like Charles Leclerc, especially in the midst of maturity, at the age of 40. This context demonstrates that the British driver’s confidence in his abilities is still at the top. In his debut season in the unsuccessful 2019, the Monegasque was able to “knock out” Sebastian Vettel, not exactly a newcomer. At least on paper, Ferrari will field the best Circus lineup in 2025.

Hamilton will receive staggering figures until 2026 with an option for the following Formula 1 season. It is worth mentioning the phrase of the great lawyer Gianni Agnelli, who, foreseeing Schumacher, stated that “Michael certainly did not come to Maranello for a chunk of bread.” When he linked his sporting fate with the red team, the German was “only” a two-time world champion, while Lewis is now leading the charts for all records.

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The Englishman is the face of countless brands and is pleasantly involved in various investments and social battles. The current Mercedes driver has created the “Hamilton Commission” to promote gender equality, especially within F1. During the 2020 season, he knelt symbolically and wore shirts with the names of African Americans who lost their lives during the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hamilton has spoken openly about issues related to climate change. He sold his private jet, changing his lifestyle with the goal of reducing his carbon footprint in the world. At the same time, he donated $500,000 to help with the damage caused by the Australian bushfires in 2020.

Regarding sponsorship, the seven-time world champion is surely the driver with the most contracts: Monster Energy, Puma, IWC, Sony, Bose, Bell Helmets, MV Agusta Motorcycles, Gran Turismo Sport, Police, Qualcomm, Tommy Hilfiger, and the list goes on. The future move to Ferrari will multiply his fame and attractiveness, and the Italian team has ensured a win-win collaboration regardless of sporting results.

Ferrari/Hamilton: an attraction for high-profile technical figures from the competition

For a long time, there has been discussion about why world-renowned foreign engineers have declined Ferrari’s proposals, preferring to stay in the F1 aero valley. Accepting to be part of Ferrari, for technicians of other nationalities, is a professional but at the same time, a life choice.

Moreover, the proximity of almost all team headquarters makes it much easier to grow by taking on increasingly important roles, without having to change the dynamics of the personal/family sphere. According to some theories, Ferrari, due to unsatisfactory results over many years, seemed to have lost its appeal. But suddenly, the legend of British motorsport has swept away that thought, choosing most likely to end his career in Italy.

Instantly, the effect of the “gravitational attraction” exercised by Michael Schumacher came to mind. After a season of suffering, he asked and obtained the key figures for success at Benetton: Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne. However, times have changed, and the contracts of the most prestigious engineers are now “papyrus” with countless clauses. Anyone who thinks that hiring Hamilton can be an easy bait aimed at attracting the best F1 engineers might be disappointed.

As described in detail in a previous article about the so-called “anti-poaching” clauses, gardening leave is an obsolete and ineffective tool to prevent knowledge transfer between teams. An emblematic example is the added value brought by Dan Fallows to Aston Martin last year.

In the contract between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes AMG Petronas, there are “anti-poaching” clauses, a term that leaves little room for imagination. If the employee violates this precise restriction, for example, if Pete Bonnington wanted to start working for Ferrari, he might have to pay his former employer a very high specific amount.

This scenario suggests that Brackley had “sensed” something, considering the 1+1 contract signed by Lewis. Obviously, this limitation does not prevent Ferrari from leveraging Lewis’s image to convince engineers from other teams. In front of every technician, especially if British, there is a sensational opportunity: to compete for Lewis’s eighth world title dressed in red. What could be more gratifying?