The anticipation builds
While 2025 is just around the corner in terms of the calendar year, the same cannot be said for the start of the next Formula 1 season. Between the official car unveilings and pre-season testing, the wait will be slightly longer, especially for those eager to see Ferrari’s new line-up: alongside Charles Leclerc will be seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, a driver who, until early 2024, seemed highly unlikely to make a move to Maranello.
However, the deal has materialized, with Sir Lewis set to contest the upcoming championship at the age of 40, replacing Carlos Sainz. Yet, for former Williams Team Manager and former Ferrari general manager Peter Windsor, now a journalist, Lewis Hamilton’s arrival is not solely a commercially driven move by Ferrari.
The Ferrari project
Specifically, while the arrival of the British driver does present a commercial advantage—having a seven-time world champion finish his career at Maranello—it is also, and more importantly, a major opportunity to increase the chances of securing the 2025 world championship title with both Hamilton and Leclerc, at least according to Peter Windsor: “I think there are also many commercial reasons why Charles Leclerc should win the championship, from Ferrari’s perspective, and I think they’d be very happy with both drivers,” he stated on his YouTube channel. “I think Sir Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is an important move, but I’m not sure commercial reasons were the driving factor behind his signing.
“I believe there’s a bit of Freddy Vasseur and their history dating back to ART, and he’s simply so good and complete that he’s at the perfect point in his career to be there alongside Charles. In other words, I don’t think the reasoning was: ‘Well, we really want Carlos Sainz; he’s undoubtedly a great racing driver, but we’d make a lot more money if we had Hamilton.’ From what I understand, that line of thinking didn’t play a significant role,” Peter Windsor explained.
