After the recent floor and front wing upgrades, Mercedes went from being the fourth-best team to arguably one of the fastest cars alongside McLaren. With the Silver Arrows winning three of the last four races, many are questioning whether Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari was the right decision. Johnny Herbert showed faith in Hamilton‘s decision, though.
“At the time it was the right decision for him! Mercedes were not looking very good and the mood was dark. The car wasn’t competitive at all. Ferrari were doing better. It was also an opportunity to reset in that quest for an eighth world title”, said Herbert, as per grandprix247.com.
#F1 | Fred Vasseur reveals that Lewis Hamilton signed for three years with Ferrari.
Lewis initially wanted these three years with Mercedes, but they only gave him a 1+1.
“He had to make a choice: ‘Where do I have the greatest chance of winning the world championship in 2025,… pic.twitter.com/8wx5d19vZV
— deni (@fiagirly) July 10, 2024
Herbert further stated that it still seems to be the correct decision with Adrian Newey’s arrival at Maranello being a possibility. As the Red Bull CTO has the experience of producing a dozen championship-winning cars, it is a dream combination for Hamilton to work with Newey at the Italian team.
Hamilton was also asked in an interview if he regrets his Ferrari move, especially seeing Mercedes back on the front foot while Ferrari’s form has fallen off since Monaco.
Hamilton explained that he is happy for Mercedes and wishes them the best but isn’t second-guessing his Ferrari decision. Although the Scuderia struggled recently, they also won a couple of races in the first half of the season.
Ferrari’s recent form hasn’t been anything to write home about. Most of it is down to the competitors finding pace with the upgrades whereas the Maranello team wasn’t able to do the same. Now, it would be interesting to see whether they try to recover this season or focus on 2025, keeping Hamilton’s strong championship ambitions in mind.
Frederic Vasseur’s plan for Ferrari following Hamilton’s arrival
Ferrari last won the drivers’ championship in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen, and the constructors’ in 2008. Michael Schumacher was the last driver to dominate championships in the scarlet red car.
After Schumacher’s exit in 2006, Ferrari didn’t have stability in their leadership as well as their driver lineup. That wasn’t the case in the early 2000s, as the Jean Todt-Michael Schumacher duo was immaculate for over a decade.
Ferrari would have wanted a similar impact as Todt had, by appointing Frederic Vasseur in the team principal’s role. And the Frenchman has already brought multiple changes to the team’s structure and culture. With Hamilton and his leader’s mentality incoming, the Vasseur-Hamilton partnership can spearhead Ferrari back to the top.
“I’m already convinced that Lewis will be a performance contributor on every single topic”, said Vasseur on Autosport’s YouTube channel. Hamilton was a crucial part of Mercedes’ dominance and knows what it takes to remain at the top. Time will tell whether he can inspire the Maranello outfit in the same way or not.
