"If we take Max Verstappen out of F1, nobody cares; but with Lewis Hamilton out, people care”: Former champion defends new Ferrari signing

Ferrari’s blockbuster signing Lewis Hamilton was defended by former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian called out Alpine chief Flávio Briatore’s recent comment criticising F1’s most successful team signing the sport’s most successful driver ever.

The 1997 champion with Williams Racing compared Lewis and Max Verstappen to imply his point. He also claimed Briatore failed to see Ferrari’s point of signing Hamilton. Villeneueve said in a recent interview: (Quotes via Action Network)

"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.”

The Canadian also mentioned:

“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."

Hamilton is reportedly set to make his first Italy visit as a Ferrari driver on the 21st or 22nd of January. There is a massive carnage predicted by reputed F1 reporter ahead of his arrival to Maranello and Fiorano.

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Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari action: First dates and more

105-times F1 winner Lewis Hamilton is set to visit Italy for the first time as Ferrari driver on January 20th. The recent reports suggest Hamilton will visit the Scuderia factory and conduct his first simulator session with the team.

The former Mercedes man is also scheduled to drive Ferrari's SF-75 (their 2022 F1 challenger) on January 22nd. The Auto Italy report said:

"As previously reported, on-track action is going to be weather depending. The track is booked for Jan 21-23 so any of those days could be for his test."

Hamilton, who has won seven championships will be eager to add an 8th one to his tally. Doing so with Ferrari will only cement his legacy and iconic status in the sport. With Ferrari not having won a title since 2008, they will be relying heavily on Hamilton's experience to finally break the deadlock.

Can Lewis Hamilton help bring the glory days back to Maranello?