Domenicali gives Hamilton advice: 'It's essential he does this at Ferrari'
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is excited for Lewis Hamilton to make the move to Ferrari in 2025. The seven-time F1 world champion drove his last race for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi. After 12 seasons with the Brackley-based team, Hamilton heads to a new environment in Maranello for 2025. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is looking forward to the highly anticipated move, as he told Autoracer.it.
Domenicali on Hamilton's Ferrari move
Hamilton has been unable to compete for the world title after he missed out on the championship in a dramatic season finale in Abu Dhabi. Following that, he's had a tough stint with Mercedes in the ground effect era, as he never really gelled with the car he was provided.
F1 CEO and former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said that he was excited about Hamilton's arrival, after which he also revealed something that he told Hamilton was essential. "He will bring a lot of interest. He is learning Italian to understand how to integrate into our culture. I told him it is also essential for him to be able to do that. At Ferrari, he will be in a different environment [than what he is used to]."
Charles Leclerc will be Hamilton's teammate at Ferrari in 2025. The Monegasque won three races with the Italian marque this season in Monaco, Monza and Austin. Domenicali said that Leclerc may have to adjust to having someone like Hamilton alongside him. "Charles will, of course, have to accept that someone like Lewis is not an easy teammate. On the other hand, Lewis will definitely have the ability to convey his positivity in his efforts to achieve his record. They respect each other a lot, and I hope they will continue to do so at the end of the year," Domenicali concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon
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Lando is often commented for his driving and is regarded as a future WDC, and Sainz was close in qualifying and race pace when they were team mates. Sainz was also keeping pace with Charles pretty well in the years they were team mates, so he is a pretty quick and talented driver. Hamilton has been pretty comprehensively out qualified and out scored by Russell this season. We shall thus see if Charles will actually have a tougher team mate next year or will have an easier time with one that is slower than his out going one.
Ah, the usual overanalysis to force a narrative @ mech "Lando is often commented for his driving and is regarded as a future WDC." Sure, Lando is a great driver, but being “regarded” as a future WDC doesn’t mean anything until it happens. Many drivers have been called the next big thing, and yet here we are, still waiting. "Sainz was close in qualifying and race pace when they were teammates." Close, yes, but not better. There's always someone willing to spin “close” as equal, but the fact remains that Norris was still seen as the stronger of the two overall. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. "Sainz was also keeping pace with Charles pretty well in the years they were teammates." Keeping pace “pretty well” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Charles is clearly Ferrari’s main guy, and while Sainz is talented, being “close” doesn’t suddenly make him a match. "Hamilton has been pretty comprehensively out-qualified and out-scored by Russell this season." Cherry-picking stats to make a point again, I see. Russell is excellent, but let’s not act like Hamilton’s legacy can be dismissed over one season. Context matters, and so does the fact that Hamilton still has the racecraft edge when it really counts. "Charles will actually have a tougher teammate next year or will have an easier time with one that is slower than his outgoing one." This assumes way too much. If Norris joins Ferrari, he’s arguably a bigger threat than Sainz because of his raw speed and adaptability. Assuming Norris is slower without any actual data to back that up is just wishful thinking. In short, lots of assumptions and little substance here. Try harder next time.
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