Ferrari given Lewis Hamilton warning with ‘more than one oddity’ to the story

Ferrari warned that Lewis Hamilton was “more than a freak” in the incident.

Ferrari warned Lewis Hamilton was “more than a freak” in the incident.

Michelle Foster February 7, 2024 at 9:45 am

Carlos Sainz vs Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2025.

Former F1 team owner Giancarlo Minardi said that if Ferrari wanted to retire Carlos Sainz, they should have chosen a “young talent” like Lewis Hamilton rather than an “aged champion 40 years”. Six days after Ferrari achieved one of Formula 1’s biggest successes, the world is still absorbing a surprise signing with the announcement of the signing of Mercedes star Hamilton.

The same goes for Sainz, who lost his Ferrari seat to the seven-time world champion. Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton warned that “success is not guaranteed”.

After issuing his first PR-style statement following the news, Sainz told Sky Italia that he “knew a few things” before the news broke and was “calm” about his future.

But as Sainz prepares for life after Ferrari and Hamilton started racing in red, former F1 team owner Minardi is among those unhappy with the Scuderia’s decision. He admitted in an interview with Quotidiano Sportivo that the “enormous similarities between the seven-time world champion and the woman in red” were “legend meets legend”, but believes Ferrari made the wrong decision.

“I wouldn’t pick someone like Hamilton,” he said. Instead, he will “keep Sainz”, which he “really likes”.

“But he will probably sign a long-term contract with Audi and start racing in the GP from 2026. In any case, I would replace him with a young talent and not a 40-year-old champion.

– Let’s be clear: I’m not an owl! If Lewis wins the red World Cup, I will be the first to congratulate him. [But] I will limit myself to expressing my skepticism, which I think is unwarranted.”

The “skepticism” lies in the question of whether Hamilton can win with Ferrari, and Minardi says that depends entirely on the design of Ferrari’s car.

“So we have to ask: Has Ferrari lost in recent years because of the mistakes of its drivers?” “No, it is not the responsibility of those behind the red wheel that has brought honor to generations.

“The thing about Hamilton is that there is no guarantee of success. “It’s like [Sebastian] Vettel never existed.”

“Having a winning car in F1 is very important. You don’t build a house on a roof, you build it on a foundation.”

“Let’s just say there’s more than one weird thing to this story.”

Ferrari have been chasing Hamilton for several years, but his signing was still a surprise, with Charles Leclerc signing a new long-term contract a few days ago. Ferrari have the strongest team on the grid but it is believed that their 2025 driver combination could cause team principal Fred Wasser a headache as he tries to manage them.

It was a decision that surprised Minardi. “How will Leclair take it?” asked the Italian.

“So they extended his contract and told him they were giving it their all. A week later, a legend like Hamilton is by his side…

“Let’s just say there’s more than one weird thing to this story.”

Either way, Mercedes and Ferrari are heading into an interesting season as they try to manage drivers leaving their teams at the end of the season.

He suggested Hamilton could be a “challenger”, adding: “One thing’s for sure: Lewis will drop the Silver Arrows early because he knows Verstappen’s Red Bull won’t be able to beat him straight away.”

“That’s how Ferrari is. Wasser will be tasked with driving Sainz home separately and it won’t be easy!

“We are also coming off a season where Red Bull won 21 of the 22 Grands Prix. The technical rules remain the same. “It’s hard to wait for a reversal,” he said.