MotoGP legend Marc Marquez gives an intriguing take on Lewis Hamilton's partnership with Ferrari

MotoGP legend Marc Marquez believed that Lewis Hamilton's partnership with his new team, Ferrari, would give them the weightage off track but might not help in winning races on track. The partnership between the most successful F1 driver and the most successful F1 team is arguably one of the most iconic in motorsport history.

The tie-up between the two parties was eagerly anticipated ever since it was first announced in February 2024, with many believing that the Brit would win his eighth world championship in red and take them back to glory days.

However, it has been a slow start to Hamilton's time with Ferrari, with the seven-time F1 driver largely struggling to match the pace of his teammate Charles Leclerc, with the exception of the Sprint in China.

Speaking with GPCone, Marquez, who is also amidst a similar level of iconic tie-up with Ducati in 2025, believed that Ferrari and Hamilton would certainly attract eyeballs but might not convert that into on-track results, saying:

"The similarity? Only the color. Hamilton is mediately strongest driver in Formula One together with Alonso and Verstappen. However, now youngsters like Norris and Russell are arriving. It may seem that the name weighs a lot, but in reality, it doesn't help you win."

Lewis Hamilton has shown some signs of spark with the Maranello-based outfit, as he dominated the Sprint section of the Chinese GP but was disqualified from the main race on Sunday.

F1 pundit gives his take on the reason behind Lewis Hamilton's DSQ

Former F1 driver and pundit Martin Brundle believed that Lewis Hamilton's extra pitstop and his pushing in the last couple of laps to catch up to the front pack could have resulted in excessive plank wear.

In his column for Sky Sports, the King's Lynn native said:

“Hamilton was pitted as there was nothing much to lose except putting him behind Verstappen but on much better tires. Lewis would then push hard to the end of the race, a factor which may well have contributed to his eventual disqualification.

“Hamilton’s car was thrown out for running too close to the ground and overly wearing away the legality skid block underneath by half a millimeter. This rule is in place to stop teams running these ground-effect aero cars too low to gain performance but then trashing super expensive floors every day.”

Lewis Hamilton finished the race in P6 behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who too was disqualified for having an underweight car by a kg. The double DSQ proved costly for the Italian team as they lost 18 points in the Constructors' Championship and sit level on points with Williams F1 in P5.