Red Bull's advisor, Helmut Marko, commented on Lewis Hamilton's unexpected move to Ferrari in one of his recent interviews.
The seven-time World Champion who has been with Mercedes for 11 years changing teams all of a sudden? When this news came out, it hit everyone by surprise.
It met with mixed reception, mainly from Ferrari and Mercedes fans. However, Helmut Marko said in an interview with sport.de: "This is the best thing that could have happened to Formula 1 at the moment."
Why would it be the best thing? As Eddie Jordan lately said, the 2023 season has been devastating for Formula One because there was one team that won 21 out of 22 races.
Moreover, there have been no new moves in the driver market, so we know every single team will remain with the same drivers in 2024 that they had in 2023. In other words, there weren't too many exciting things to look forward to until now.
However, the seven-time World Champion made things a lot more interesting. The 39-year-old going to the most prestigious team at the end of his career to try and get his eighth title with the red is one of the biggest moves in the history of F1.
This sparks excitement and a lot of anticipation as people can't wait to see how he will do with Scuderia. Could he really win the title with Ferrari? How will he compare to Leclerc? Who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes?
These are some of the questions everyone wants answered, which is good for the sport because it brings attention. The 2024 season hasn't begun, and people already can't wait for 2025.
Concerning the comparison between Leclerc and Hamilton, Marko said Leclerc could have "advantages on one lap." At the end of the day, he is considered the fastest driver in an outright qualifying lap at the moment.
However, the Red Bull Racing advisor believes Hamilton will have the advantage in race pace and will be the stronger one in the battle for the Championship.
Marko added Hamilton will also "politically assert himself as Ferrari’s global superstar." Who do you think will have the upper hand in a direct battle between the two future teammates?