Breaking: Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur state why the Scuderia signed Lewis Hamilton over Max Verstappen for 2025…
Ferrari boss responds after Lewis Hamilton ‘second choice’ to Max Verstappen claim
A studio shot of Lewis Hamilton starting at the camera with a prominent Ferrari logo alongside him
The start of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career is honing into view
Ferrari principal Fred Vasseur explained why they took the “ideal” Lewis Hamilton option over Max Verstappen, after Hamilton was recently referred to as the Scuderia’s “second choice”.
Hamilton got the latest F1 ‘silly season’ underway in an early and emphatic manner when his shock F1 2025 switch to Ferrari was confirmed, the seven-time World Champion to take the seat currently occupied by Carlos Sainz, who subsequently signed with Williams. Hamilton will therefore find Charles Leclerc as his new team-mate.
Lewis Hamilton the ‘ideal’ driver for Ferrari
But, while Dutch racer and pundit Tom Coronel referred to Ferrari’s Hamilton deal as a “masterstroke”, he claimed that Hamilton was their “second choice” and only Red Bull’s three-time World Champion Max Verstappen could restore title glory to Ferrari.
“I’m really looking forward to Lewis at Ferrari,” Coronel told Formule 1 Magazine.
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“I think it was a masterstroke by Ferrari that they took him, but of course they would have preferred Max. Ferrari can only become World Champions with Max, they won’t succeed with Hamilton.
“He is second choice, but better second than third.”
However, Vasseur, when speaking with Corriere della Sera, talked up Hamilton as the “ideal” driver for Ferrari, beyond just Verstappen’s Red Bull contract – running until the end of 2028 – being the reason for choosing Hamilton.
Asked why Ferrari signed Hamilton instead of Verstappen, Vasseur replied: “Beyond Max’s long contract with Red Bull, Lewis is ideal for Ferrari.
“For his experience, for the relationship he has with Charles, for his calmness.”
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Earlier in the F1 2024 campaign, it appeared as though Hamilton was at risk of exiting Mercedes off the back of an underwhelming final season for both, but that situation turned around quickly and emphatically, with Hamilton returning to winning ways at Silverstone – his record ninth victory on home soil – before taking victory again in Belgium.
Mercedes has won three of the last four races with the team and Hamilton silencing any sceptics, though Vasseur was never one of them when it came to Hamilton.
Prior to that Silverstone triumph, Hamilton had not tasted victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“Never had any doubts,” said Vasseur when it was put to him that Hamilton beat the sceptics with his pair of wins, “I always believed it was a question of motivation, as soon as he smells victory, he goes wild.
“For who knows how long he had Ferrari on his mind, he will give everything.”
But before then, Hamilton and Mercedes have Ferrari in their sights when it comes to the Constructors’ Championship. With 10 rounds to go, Ferrari occupy P3, with Mercedes 79 points behind.
