Ferrari 'courting' Lewis Hamilton for 'many months', John Elkann the 'driving force'
Ferrari had been interested in signing Lewis Hamilton for "some months", with their presiden♉t John Elkann the pushing the de▨al.
Ferrari president John Elkann has been the “driving force” behind them signing 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes for the 2025 F1 season.
Hamilton will team up with 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Charles Leclerc for 2025,ꦺ bringing an end to his long-term alliance with Mercedes.
Since being in F1, ⭕Hamilton has only driven for Mercede🦋s-powered teams - McLaren between 2007 and 2012, and Mercedes since 2013.
It’s a seismic move for the sport which seeౠs its most successful driver in Hamilton joining the most successful constructor in Ferrari.
Hami⭕lton signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes in the middle of 2023, seemingly putting an end to speculation over his future.
But now 🌃it is confirmed tha🌠t he will wear red next year.
As revealed by Sky Sports F1 reporter Cra﷽ig Slater, the current Ferrari president has been a major factor in bringing Hamilton to Maranello after ‘courting’ him for ‘some months’.
“My understanding is that this courtship [between Ferrar𒁃i and Hamilton] has been going on for some months,” Slater said. It’s not a sudden thing. John Elkann, the president and a very heavy-hitter, is very much at the centre of it and the driving force.
“Team principal Fred Vasseur is someonℱe Lewis knows from the junior days so♛ there’s no friction there.
“It’s not like the chairman has signed someone over the manager’s back,🔴 that you sometimes get in football! This isn’t like that.”
Slater believes going up ꦑLeclerc will be a “big challenge” for Hamilton - but not one he’s unfamiliar with.
“This is ꦫtypical of Lewis Hamilton, I have to say. Never 𓆏been afraid of a challenge,” he added. “He comes into F1 with Fernando Alonso as his teammate and gets a result against him.
“He changes teams to an upstart team who hadn’t done very much, Mercedes, and goes up against Nico Rosberg, a fine operator, andꦉ gets the better of him. Happy to take on George Russell, one 🌼of the best of the young prospects in F1. And now this! Joining Ferrari where Leclerc is ensconced there.
“Clearly, Ferrari identified him as their priority, and that’s why they signed him up rather than Carlos Sainz. He is managed🐠 by Nicolas Todt, the son of Jean Todt the legendary Ferrari team principal.
“So Lewis? This is a big challenge for him. He will be 40, going up against one of the quickest young drivers in the world. It would be a great scalp for Leclerc to take, if he could out-score him over a yea෴r.”
With a sharp eye 🌃for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiasedℱ reporting.
