Signing Hamilton 'Best Move' Ferrari Have Ever Done According To Villeneuve
F1Tuesday, 14 January 2025 at 16:25
1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve explained why he thinks Ferrari's decision to sign Lewis Hamilton was the best they've ever made.
Lewis Hamilton has been under some fire following the relatively unsuccessful 2024 season. Although he won two Grand Prix races in Belgium and England, he also recorded his worst-ever result at the end of a season - P7.
Even P7 might not have been considered a bad result for the seven-time world champion if he hadn't been destroyed by his teammate George Russell in the head-to-head battle—6-24 in qualifying and 10-20 in race results (including sprint races).
Looking at the results, multiple F1 pundits and experts questioned whether the F1 team from Maranello made the right decision signing Lewis Hamilton.
Even Alpine's executive advisor Flavio Briatore stated that he wouldn't have signed the 40-year-old driver if he worked for Ferrari.
However, 1997 Champion Jacques Villeneuve disagrees with Briatore's statement. Speaking to The Action Network, he said:
"That's very short-sighted from Briatore suggesting he can't see the logic of signing Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. You just have to look at the value of Ferrari the minute they signed him."
"You can't look at Ferrari just as a racing team. It's a whole industry. Yes, they are there to win, but winning helps them sell more cars and adds to the value of Ferrari."
"That's what the business is and signing Lewis was worth millions and millions, so it was the best move they've ever done."
Ferrari's market cap rose by more than $4 billion following the announcement of the multi-year deal with the seven-time world champion. Villeneuve continued:
"Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari is the most high-profile F1 move since Michael Schumacher left Benetton for Ferrari."
"Independent of race results, Lewis Hamilton is the biggest driver of all time because of all the following he has"
The 1997 Champion then went on to compare Hamilton to Max Verstappen, suggesting the Dutchman is nowhere near as famous as the Briton outside of the F1 world.
"He's very different. He's unique. He's broken the mold. There's a lot that hangs on him. He has the biggest image. His image goes beyond F1. And there's not many drivers like that."
"Take Verstappen out of F1. Nobody cares. Take Hamilton out of F1, people care. So yes, it is the biggest signing."
"And Ferrari is also one of the biggest brands in the world, if not the biggest. So put the two together, yeah, of course, it's amazing."
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