Anyone familiar with Formula 1 knows that the news of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is truly the deal of the century, a significant coup for both parties, but especially for the Briton. At this point in his career, he has nothing to lose, and a change of scenery could give him that extra motivation. In Mercedes, he seemed to have reached a period of stagnation: despite investments and updates, the car has never been consistently competitive, except for occasional flashes. Even Jacques Villeneuve, who is usually not very generous with compliments towards the Englishman, couldn’t help but be excited about the news.
“It’s good news for all of us. It’s unexpected, indeed, and exciting. It gets people talking. You can’t imagine anything more: the greatest team of all time with the most successful driver. For Ferrari, it’s an incredible image boost, in a positive sense. And for Hamilton, it’s a great move. Because the feeling is that Mercedes is lacking something, and I don’t think they will bounce back in two years. So Lewis is right to go to Ferrari. Where if he wins, it will be fantastic, the best possible. Moreover, in a historical period when the team hasn’t won for so long. It would have been different, for example, to arrive right after Michael Schumacher. And even if he doesn’t win, it will still be a boost for his image. Better not to win with Ferrari than not to win with Mercedes,” said the champion in a recent interview for the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
However, the Canadian wanted to issue a warning to number 44: “Ferrari is a different world. It’s not easy to survive in. Now we’ll see how strong he is psychologically. Ferrari uses its drivers. Even someone like Fernando Alonso got burnt. The only one it didn’t happen to is Michael Schumacher.” – he continued.
And in all this, what will happen to Carlos Sainz? Strong in being the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023, #55 hoped to extend his contract with the Prancing Horse well beyond 2025.
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Jacques Villeneuve believes that this year will be tough for the Spaniard. Interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 1997 world champion stated, “[Carlos Sainz] is the big loser in this situation because his bargaining power, with Audi or anyone else, is obviously much lower.”
According to Jacques Villeneuve, the atmosphere inside the Ferrari box will not be calm. Carlos Sainz, suddenly ousted from the team, “will have no interest in playing team games. Ferrari’s results now mean zero to him; only his result will matter. He has [to produce] for his 2025 contract. Maybe trying to beat Leclerc.” – the former Formula 1 driver pointed out.
According to Gilles’s son, the Spaniard now “has nothing to lose” in this situation, where only one thing will count: himself.
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