Ferrari dropped a bombshell when they announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton earlier this month, shocking the entire F1 community. Very few people associated with F1 new about the move beforehand, and even fewer outside of the sport. However, there was one man who knew it all and he is Fabio Quartararo, a Yamaha MotoGP rider. Quartararo revealed that Piero Ferrari hinted at him about the move in January.
The French MotoGP rider said as per Autosport,
“It was strange because I was visiting Maranello a couple of days before the announcement and Piero Ferrari suggested it to me. But at that moment I didn’t know how to interpret it, I didn’t get it. I didn’t fall for it until it became official.”
Quartararo is a renowned F1 fan, and also has a great relationship with Piero Ferrari, the second and only living son of Ferrari’s founder Enzo. Ahead of the 2024 MotoGP pre-season testing, the former world champion champion took a tour of Maranello in January. Piero showed him around the Ferrari facility, which is when he likely told Quartararo about this potential move.
Thank you @FabioQ20 for stopping by, it was an absolute pleasure having you here.#Maranello #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/gLKWechzsJ
— Ferrari (@Ferrari) January 26, 2024
Initially, Quartararo did not want to believe Piero Ferrari and kept the information aside just like any other rumor. In the end, it turned out to be true, and Hamilton’s move to the iconic Italian stable caught everyone, including Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff off guard.
Wolff revealed in an interview that he only got to know about the information on January 31. Prior to this, he believed that his star driver would remain in Brackley even post 2025. Nonetheless, some people knew about the move before the news broke.
Who knew about Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in Ferrari?
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were one of the first people to know about the transfer. While Leclerc’s stay in Ferrari was confirmed because of his contract extension, the same cannot be said about Sainz. Sainz was told that he would leave Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season to make way for Hamilton.
It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.
But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024
Apart from them, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur and Hamilton’s brother Nicholas Hamilton also knew about the move before it became public. Among his fellow drivers, Pierre Gasly of Alpine admitted that he heard about the news. He also praised how the news was kept under wraps for such a long time.
When rumors of Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari first started gathering substance, many thought it was a hoax. After it became official, many started billing this as the most exciting driver transfer of all time.
