Lewis Hamilton will end up in the Vatican if he wins his 8th F1 title with Ferrari, claims former team boss

Former Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has joked that if Lewis Hamilton wins his eighth world title at Ferrari, he will "end up in the Vatican". The F1 legend's decision to switch teams surprised many. He had been with Mercedes since 2013, achieving six world titles with the team, while Mercedes itself went on an eight-year run of championships.

It wasn't until 2022 that Mercedes suddenly fell off from championship contention and Hamilton found himself without a win in a season. With the German squad still unable to put that concrete challenge together against the champions Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Hamilton decided it was time to move to Ferrari.

The former Haas team principal feels the motive behind this move is trying to have a new challenge in front of him and achieve success of winning a title at Ferrari, something that hasn't been done for a long time in the past. Talking about the move on the Red Flag Podcast, he said:

“I think he wants to try to do the magic, to bring Ferrari back to winning championships and that, I think is his drive. I obviously haven’t spoken with him about it, but I can see that was his motivation to go there, try to bring it back.

'I’m a Greatest Of All Time anyway, you know, I won seven championships. What more can I do? I must say this, I can win my eighth, maybe, if you’re doing a good job at Ferrari. If I win my eighth, or win a championship for Ferrari,' the guy will end up in the Vatican. I think Ferrari without Formula 1 is not Ferrari, and Formula 1 without Ferrari is not Formula 1,”

Steiner added that Hamilton is going to a Ferrari headed by Fred Vasseur, who had much success with the driver.

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Lewis Hamilton enjoys a good relationship with Fred Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton drove for ART Grand Prix, a team owned by Fred Vasseur, in his junior years when he won championships. Speaking on the Red Flag Podcast, Guenther Steiner felt that Vasseur at the helm would help the seven-time champion as the two try to team up and bring success to Ferrari. He said:

“I think it’s just this magic which this Prancing Horse carries, and if you have the chance to be part of it as a driver, and he’s a good position, he’s very close with Fred Vasseur.

They know each other, they won a lot in the junior formulas, Lewis and Fred with his team. They’re very close, and I think they try to do something together and, if they achieve it, it must be pretty cool for both of them.”

Hamilton will join Ferrari next season with a multi-year contract until the 2027 F1 season.