Hamilton Wasn't Right Move For Ferrari According To F1 World Champion Jones
F1
1980 World Champion Alan Jones doubted whether Lewis Hamilton was the best choice for Scuderia Ferrari as he believed the seven-time World Champion could have the best behind him.
Lewis Hamilton is off to an underwhelming start to the season. After the first two Grand Prix races of 2024, he stands ninth in the Championship, five positions behind his teammate George Russell.
This is probably not a performance Ferrari would want to see, as the team reportedly signed him for an astronomical amount with a multi-year contract starting in 2025. Alan Jones told the Herald Sun:
"I don't know whether [Hamilton] going to Ferrari is going to be the end all and be all of what Ferrari needs."
"Okay, it was good because when he signed for Ferrari their share price just went up by about $20 billion or something."
The seven-time World Champion is under intense scrutiny. On the one hand, his results during the first two races of the season are underwhelming on paper.
On the other hand, he struggled with technical issues during the first race and chose a risky strategy that backfired during the second one. Not to mention, there are still 22 Grand Prix and six Sprint races remaining in the season. Nevertheless, Jones asserted that the number 44 driver needs to step up.
"But at the end of the day, Lewis has really got to start to pull his finger out a little bit quite frankly. George Russell is now starting to give him a bit of a hiding now most times and the more that goes on, the more that will play on him."
The 77-year-old added that he disagreed with Ferrari's decision to sign the 39-year-old. He admits that Prancing Horse's price went up, but he still believes Hamilton isn't going to be the answer.
"I really don't think it was [the right move for Ferrari] to be honest. In terms of increasing their share price, yes. But I just don't think he is going to be the [answer]."
In the end, the 1980 World Champion was asked whether the best could already be behind the seven-time World Champion, and he responded: "I think so, yes."
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