'Not Easy': Sainz Left In 'Tricky Situation' After Hamilton's Move To Ferrari Says Gasly

Wednesday, 07 February 2024 at 22:00

Alpine's driver Pierre Gasly suggested he wasn't as surprised by the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari because he had been aware of the talks before.

The announcement of Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes and join Scuderia after the end of the 2024 season shocked almost everyone for a couple of reasons.

The seven-time World Champion is 39 years old and has been with Silver Arrows for 11 seasons already. Many drivers in F1 retire before reaching the age of 40, so it was considered the Briton would end his career with the German team.

However, Hamilton signed a two-year deal with Mercedes (just last August) for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. With this fresh contract in hand, nobody thought Hamilton would play a role in the silly season.

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Lastly, Ferrari and the 39-year-old managed to keep negotiations and the deal secret until the announcement day. Two drivers already gave their opinions on the news, both Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas, stated it had been a massive surprise for them.

Pierre Gasly, on the other hand, suggested he knew about everything before the announcement was made. According to BBC, he said he was "aware of [Hamilton having] some talks with Ferrari."

"He is towards the end of his career, so it was now or never. But I think it was kept secret for a long time."

The 28-year-old refused to answer how he knew about the move, but we know he is a great friend of Charles Leclerc (who was reportedly aware of the move ahead).

The Frenchman also used to play computer games with Hamilton, so their relationship might also be pretty close. Concerning Carlos Sainz's situation, Gasly added:

"Carlos is a great driver, Lewis is a fantastic driver, best of all time. There was an opportunity on both sides, and Ferrari and Lewis took it together. It leaves Carlos in a more tricky situation, and it's not easy."