Sir Jackie Stewart Is “Surprised” by Lewis Hamilton Going to Ferrari at 40

Lewis Hamilton will end his 12-year association with Mercedes’ F1 team to join Ferrari in 2025. It is being billed as one of the, if not the, biggest driver transfer in the sport’s history. However, legendary F1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart cannot help but feel surprised.

Stewart appeared on an episode of the Racing News 365 podcast, where he admitted that Hamilton’s age was a factor in him being surprised. “Because of being 40, and going into a team that at present has become… very competitive,” he said.

However, competition is what Hamilton was looking for. He has seven world championships and missed out on his eighth by the narrowest of margins in 2021. Since then, Mercedes (where he won six titles) has not been fast enough for him to compete at the front.

Hamilton saw Ferrari as the ideal place to win his eighth crown. The Maranello-based outfit has also not won a Championship since 2008. A legendary driver like Hamilton moving would give the Tifosi hope that glory days aren’t too far away.

At the same time, Stewart, a three-time F1 world champion, feels Ferrari could be too ‘disruptive’. He spoke about Ferrari’s legacy and how it has always been one of the most consistent teams in F1 history. However, Hamilton would find it difficult to make an impact there at the age of 40, Stewart insisted.

Hamilton still has the skill

Stewart has his doubts, but by no means did he dismiss Hamilton’s chances of succeeding at Ferrari. He added that Hamilton’s ‘skill and talent’ is still top-notch, and recalled his incredible drive at the 2024 British GP, which made him the first driver in F1 history to win nine races in the same circuit.

Hamilton also became the first driver to win a race after getting over 300 Grand Prix starts. Hence, longevity would not be a problem for Hamilton. All the Stevenage-born driver needs is a car capable of fighting for the world championship, and he will be right there.