Lewis Hamilton’s decision to accept Ferrari offer has specific reason, according to former technical director. Aldo Costa on the reasons that led Lewis Hamilton to accept Ferrari's offer.

The most successful drivers in F1 history want to join Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton will be a Ferrari driver in 2025. The British driver holds the absolute records for victories (103) and pole positions in F1 (104) and is tied with Michael Schumacher for world titles won (seven each). No other driver has reached such heights in terms of championship titles – Juan Manuel Fangio follows with five – and Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari means that the two most successful drivers in F1 history will have driven for the iconic team in their careers.

Italian journalist Leo Turrini interviewed Aldo Costa, currently the technical director of Dallara, who has worked with Michael Schumacher in both Ferrari and Mercedes, and with Lewis Hamilton in Brackley. Aldo Costa emphasized that the two drivers are made of the same stuff, even though they belong to two different generations that cannot be compared, not only in terms of age.

“Michael and Lewis are less distant than one might imagine – Aldo Costa’s words reported by Leo Turrini on the quotidiano.net website – both have always had a very analytical approach. They are meticulous, highly professional. They know that at certain levels, details shift the balance, determine the result. They belong to non-overlapping cultures. Schumacher was the last driver of an era in which cars were developed on the track, through continuous tests on the asphalt. And in this, he was formidable, I would say unique. Lewis belongs to the simulator era. He has nothing to do with it; the rules have changed. In short: Michael was always behind the wheel, Lewis Hamilton almost never because he can’t. It’s no coincidence that Schumi, when he returned to racing in 2010 without track tests, felt uncomfortable; he hated the simulator. Schumi determined tire development with his tests because he could. In Hamilton’s era, the tires are named by the sole supplier beforehand, and the greatness of the driver lies in the ability to make unknown, unchosen tires perform at their best immediately. And in this, he is an absolute master, just as Michael was in his world.”

Regarding the reasons that led Lewis Hamilton to accept Ferrari’s offer, Aldo Costa dismisses any aspects related to money: “He is instinctive. He followed his heart. It’s not a turn dictated by the god of money. Will someone come with him? In 2013, he showed up at Mercedes alone, and they thought he was crazy; we know how it went.”