'Not The Right Move': Ex-Ferrari Boss Unhappy With Signing Of Lewis Hamilton

Former Ferrari boss and current Audi F1 team principal Mattia Binotto expressed his discontent with the decision to sign Lewis Hamilton. He believes that instead of bringing in Hamilton, Ferrari should focus on developing Charles Leclerc as a championship contender.

Binotto stated, “Lewis made a good decision to join Ferrari. However, signing him is not the right call. Ferrari had other drivers in mind, and if Leclerc is the star, he should be the one we guide towards success.”

Ferrari has made headlines by securing a multi-year deal with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, starting in 2025. Former Sauber CEO Fred Vasseur, who is now with Ferrari, is proud of this decision.

Hamilton aims to end Ferrari's decade-and-a-half championship drought and will replace Carlos Sainz, partnering with Leclerc. Together, they are expected to form the strongest driver lineup Ferrari has seen in the last ten years.

Binotto also mentioned that Vasseur, after joining Ferrari, hasn’t made major changes and is continuing the projects he left behind. He added, “If Ferrari wins, I’ll be very happy because I know the effort it takes to reach that level.”

Binotto left Ferrari after the 2022 Formula One season and faced significant criticism, especially from the Italian media, for not being able to compete with Max Verstappen and Red Bull while leading Leclerc.

Vasseur on signing Lewis Hamilton

Fred Vasseur believes Lewis Hamilton's signing validates the success of the project he is undertaking at Ferrari. Vasseur spoke about Hamilton at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, organised by Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Ferrari boss said, "We talked about it some time ago, he always had this desire in mind, but of course, he is a driver who wants to have guarantees in terms of performance. For him this aspect is always in the first place. If he chose to join Ferrari, it confirms to me that we can have the right car. A driver like Hamilton does not come to us on vacation. I think we are in the right place in terms of performance," .