Hamilton 'Did Well' To Go To Ferrari But Binotto Says He Wouldn't Take Him

Saturday, 12 October 2024 at 21:03

Ferrari's former team principal, Mattia Binotto, said he would not have taken Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari if it had been his decision.

After the end of the 2024 season, the driver pairing in the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team will change as Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes will replace Carlos Sainz (who will head to Williams).

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur played a key role in convincing the seven-time World Champion to join the team, and many have praised the Frenchman for pulling this off.

However, former team principal of the Italian team, Mattia Binotto, says he wouldn't have made the same decision that Vasseur did.

Binotto was the team principal of the Italian F1 team from 2019 to 2022. In August 2024, it was announced the 54-year-old would return to F1 as Chief Operating and Technical Officer in Sauber (the future Audi).

When asked in an interview with Corriere Della Sera what he thinks about Lewis Hamilton joining the Italian team, Binotto replied:

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"No. But he did very well to go to Ferrari, I agree with his decision."

The general public clearly thought the connection between the Ferrari F1 team and Lewis Hamilton was a great move, as Ferrari's share price on the stock market skyrocketed on the day of the announcement (February 1st) and hasn't fallen back since. Asked why he wouldn't want Hamilton, Binotto replied:

"Because Ferrari had focused on other drivers. And if the talent is Leclerc, I think he is the one who should be accompanied to the objective in some way."

When Charles Leclerc was asked what he thought about Hamilton coming to Ferrari, he highlighted that he loves being paired with the best drivers.

The Monegasque driver is looking forward to learning from Hamilton but, at the same time, showing what he can do compared to the most successful driver of all time.