Ferrari: Luca di Montezemolo feels replacing on-form Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton is a “risk”. Luca di Montezemolo on Ferrari's line-up for 2025 F1 season.

Replacing an in-form Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season and beyond represents a “risk.”

This is the perspective of Luca di Montezemolo, the former Ferrari president who led the team during some of its most iconic eras, as speculation intensifies over the seven-time world champion’s highly anticipated move to Maranello. Following the conclusion of the 2024 campaign, which saw 39-year-old Hamilton grappling with not only a lack of competitive performance but also questions around his motivation and self-belief, his upcoming partnership with Charles Leclerc has become a major talking point in the world of Formula 1.

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko expressed enthusiasm for Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in his latest column for *Speed Week*. He noted that the British driver would face one of the toughest competitors in qualifying with Charles Leclerc as his teammate, but added that Hamilton could still perform at a world-class level in races if the car was competitive. Helmut Marko also observed that Lewis Hamilton’s motivation appeared limited when driving an uncompetitive car, as seen during his time at Mercedes, suggesting that the seven-time champion needed the assurance of being able to fight for podiums and was unlikely to push hard for minor points finishes.

Ex-Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya anticipates an adjustment phase for Lewis Hamilton, during which Charles Leclerc may initially appear to hold the advantage: “But six or seven rounds in, if the car is competitive, Lewis will win everything. If Ferrari gives him a good car, he can definitely become champion again.” – the former Williams driver recently pointed out.

Another ex-Formula 1 man, Marc Surer, explained in an interview for German website formel1.de: “It will be interesting. Marketing-wise it is a huge win for Ferrari. They will sell a lot of cars because of him.”

However, Italian businessman Luca di Montezemolo, who spent decades closely associated with the Italian brand, believes the new partnership between Hamilton and Ferrari goes far beyond just marketing: “Hamilton is a phenomenon like (Max) Verstappen,” he told Rai Gr Parlamento radio. “His arrival at Ferrari is not a marketing operation – he wants to end his career by winning in red.” – the former Ferrari chairman explained – “But the choice of Lewis on one hand is a risk because you take a champion who has won a lot and who comes to Ferrari to win, and on the other hand there is Leclerc who despite having good races has never won (a title) and the years go by. It will be a very interesting year for Ferrari, provided that they manage to bridge the gap with McLaren to start already competitive from the first race. There also must be clarity of the management within the team,” the 77-year-old Italian continued, as reported by the Italian media.

At the same time, Luca di Montezemolo pointed out the fact that he regrets the current situation for Carlos Sainz, who leaves the Maranello team and will not get the chance to challenge for podiums or race wins at least in the neat future: “In these years, Ferrari’s problem has not been linked to the drivers. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are strong.” – the Italian added.

Sky Deutschland commentator Sascha Roos expressed the view that Carlos Sainz had delivered the best season of his career so far, achieving two race wins. While acknowledging that Charles Leclerc was even more consistent, Roos noted that Sainz and Leclerc formed a strong and effective driver pairing at Ferrari. He suggested that Ferrari might come to regret their decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton, arguing that Sainz was not significantly inferior to Hamilton, if at all.

Roos further speculated that Lewis Hamilton would require time to adapt to the Ferrari, potentially missing crucial opportunities in the championship battle during that adjustment period. He pointed out that, given the strong performances of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc toward the end of the season and the minimal changes expected to the car for 2025, Ferrari could find themselves initially weakened with Hamilton. Roos also expressed skepticism about Lewis Hamilton being able to dominate  Charles Leclerc over the course of the season.

Commenting on Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams, Roos described it as the best available option for the Spaniard, while predicting that Sainz might not remain there for long. He hinted at the possibility of a future switch to Cadillac or even an unexpected opening at Red Bull.