Former Ferrari president confident Lewis Hamilton won’t be just a marketing move: “He’s a phenomenon like Verstappen”. Lewis Hamilton will be an extraordinary asset to the Ferrari F1 team.

Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari, the partnership of the century
What kind of Hamilton will we see at Ferrari starting next year? Will he be the champion capable of transforming the Maranello team, bringing knowledge and a winning mentality (in addition to his individual talent behind the wheel of the red car), or, considering his age, will his partnership with the Maranello team be just a marketing-driven marriage without significant sporting outcomes? This is the question on the minds of practically all fans ever since Sir Lewis signed his contract with the Italian team on February 1st. It’s a question that was also posed to former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who, however, believes Lewis Hamilton will be an extraordinary asset to the team.

Lewis Montezemolo on Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari
“Hamilton,” Luca di Montezemolo said in an interview with Rai GR Parlamento, “is a phenomenon like Max Verstappen. His move to Ferrari is not a marketing operation because he was determined to close his career winning in red.” The former president, however, admitted that the most talked-about partnership in the history of driver markets could backfire: “Lewis’s choice is, in some respects, a risk because the team has brought in a champion who has won so much and who is coming to Ferrari to win. But on the other hand, there is already Leclerc, who, despite having had many good races, has never won a title, and time is passing for him as well.” – the former Ferrari president pointed out.

“It will be very interesting to see what Ferrari does next season,” Luca di Montezemolo added, “to understand if they can close the gap with McLaren and start the championship with a competitive car right from the first race. There also needs to be more clarity in the team’s management.” After all, drivers haven’t been Ferrari’s real issue in recent years: “Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are strong; I don’t think Ferrari’s problems in recent seasons were related to the drivers,” the 77-year-old concluded.