"Lewis Hamilton hasn't lost any of his talent and is still hungry for success" - F1 boss defends 7x champion’s Ferrari move

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali backed Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari for the upcoming season, dismissing any claims that the seven-time F1 champion was too old to join the Italian team.

Earlier this year, Hamilton surprised many by announcing his departure from Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. He will be replacing Carlos Sainz Jr., who has kicked off his 2024 season by ending Max Verstappen's winning streak at the Australian GP.

Sainz's impressive form has raised doubts about whether Ferrari needed to change their current lineup to hire Hamilton, who will be turning 40 soon. The Mercedes driver has described his start to the current season as one of the worst in his career and is also on a winless streak that dates back to 2021.

In a recent interview with Italian journalist Leo Turrini, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali backed the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, stating that the Brit has neither lost his hunger for success nor his talent. Domenicali also praised Carlos Sainz Jr. and lauded Ferrari's strategic move to hire Hamilton.

He said:

"I would like to start by saying that Carlos is a gentleman driver and it is no coincidence that he is the man in the transfer market at the moment. He will find a position that matches his qualities. But with Hamilton, Ferrari has made a big decision, not just at the marketing level. It's a strategic choice."

He added:

"No. I'm at every race and Hamilton hasn't lost any of his talent and is still hungry for success."

The former Ferrari boss drew parallels between Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Maranello and Michael Schumacher's tenure with the team. He believes that Hamilton has the potential to end Ferrari's title drought, similar to what Schumacher did in the 2000s.

Domenicali also emphasized that Hamilton would have to earn the No. 1 status by competing with Charles Leclerc. He expressed confidence in Frederic Vasseur's ability to effectively manage the driver pairing.

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Lewis Hamilton opens up about his Ferrari move

After announcing that he would join Ferrari in 2025, Lewis Hamilton revealed that his desire to drive for the Italian team dated back to his childhood.

In a recent interview with GQ Sports, Hamilton described his move to Ferrari as an "unconscious manifestation," that had been building since an early period of his life.

"Yeah, I think perhaps more unconscious manifesting from the early period of my life. But it’s always been up there for me. For now, though, I’m gonna lift Mercedes as high as I can this year," he said.

Hamilton will end his 12-year stint with Mercedes at the end of the season. He currently occupies tenth place in the Drivers' standings after three races into his final season with the Silver Arrows.