The news of Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 caught every F1 expert by surprise. The reason behind that was Hamilton time and again reiterated his loyalty towards the Silver Arrows. One would believe that must have made it difficult for Ferrari to poach him. Team principal Fred Vasseur, however, has claimed otherwise.
Vasseur claims Ferrari was always on Hamilton’s mind and that made his job of signing the seven-time F1 champion easy. The claim isn’t unfounded, given how Hamilton himself admitted in the past about his fandom for the Italian automaker, which started in childhood.
The desire to drive for them only grew stronger as he witnessed the reverence the Tifosi hold for a Ferrari driver. Speaking at the Trento Sports Festival, Vasseur said,
“It [signing Hamilton] wasn’t difficult, actually. Ferrari has always been in his thoughts in some ways and now the stars have aligned. But he comes to win, not on holiday. And I’m convinced that we have everything to try.”
Gazzetta Motori – Asked about Hamilton’s arrival, Fred Vasseur says: “It wasn’t difficult actually, Ferrari has always been in his thoughts in some ways and now the stars have aligned. But he comes to win, not on holiday. And I’m convinced that we have everything to try”.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) October 10, 2024
Reports claim the plan to give Hamilton a befitting welcome at Ferrari has already been set in motion. An attempt in that direction has come through their design philosophy for the 2025 car which Formu1.uno claims is curated to suit the Briton’s driving style.
Among the most significant changes is the switch to a pull-rod front suspension. The design will result in improved airflow and give the car an aerodynamic advantage. A pull-rod suspension design will also require the team to scrap their current chassis design and devise a new one.
That will push the cockpit further back for balancing purposes. Hamilton had evidently complained about his seating position being too close to the front wheels at Mercedes in 2023.
Hamilton’s relationship with Vasseur and Charles Leclerc
Hamilton and Vasseur have known each other since their times in the feeder series. That was when the Briton was still competing in GP2 and GP3 when Vasseur was his team boss.
Despite never sharing that relationship in F1, the duo have often spent time talking after a Grand Prix. This camaraderie ultimately led to the French boss convincing Hamilton to make the switch to Ferrari in 2025.
The #44 driver shares a similar friendly relationship with Leclerc. Apart from similar driving styles, the duo share ample interests outside F1 to gel over.
That bond, however, could prove to be fragile if they start challenging each other on the track. The chances of that happening would increase if Ferrari are able to produce a championship-worthy car.
