2024 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

[S D]

What will be of interest more than the signing is when and why did he sign.
If it's just to close his career with Ferrari
then this is what it is.
If it's because he saw what Merc had in store that's a bad omen, as was seen before.
However, if he saw some Ferrari engine data or data relating to the chassis, aero and suspension improvements, then that is something that will have us on the edge of our seats.

Explain me the logic of showing your opponent, engine, chassis, suspension data without signature?

As you phrase it there is no logic in showing a competitor.
However, when you are courting someone. You might hint of improvements in the hopes of getting them interested. It's a negotiation that goes over many months and there is some sort of trust built up.

LH is part of a very select group with many friends. He is able to hear credible rumours far beyond what we hear. Late in the negotiations when Ferrari feel they are close, LH could say something like "I hear that you have 20 HP over last year's engine" "Oh you heard that! Well it's hard to keep these things a secret for long." LH could say "prove it"
Or, "I might be interested if you can give me a feel of the improved downforce or drag, or can you show that you are addressing better tyre performance. etc etc.

It's up to Ferrari to decide if they want to risk it. And what is the real risk? The teams are committed to their designs now. Engines are frozen other than eg reliability. The other teams will quickly know in testing who has made progress a few weeks from now. There are too many ways to get an idea of other team's progress. There was speculation that LH knew about Mercs progress when he switched.

Maybe none of that happens but LH could attract Brit talent to the team. Perhaps there are top engineers from Merc or other teams that are heading to Maranello. He would be in a position to know.

If none of this is true then maybe it's 2026 that he is really after. Either way I seriously doubt that LH would go to Ferrari if he did not have good info that they are going to be competitive.

[dren]

Just thinking….

I wonder if Ferrari have said he can be number 1 and the car will be developed for him.

It must be annoying at Merc where in the interests of ‘fairness’ they end up losing out. Redbull rightly put everything into one driver to get results.

Duchessa (one of the journalists who broke this news first last night) reported that Charles has relinquished number 1 status but neither will Lewis become the number 1. Equal status once again (which Leclerc has been perfectly used to)

Can you link a source to this? I don't want to question you, but I haven't seen it yet

viewtopic.php?t=31493&start=195

[organic]

Just thinking….

I wonder if Ferrari have said he can be number 1 and the car will be developed for him.

It must be annoying at Merc where in the interests of ‘fairness’ they end up losing out. Redbull rightly put everything into one driver to get results.

Duchessa (one of the journalists who broke this news first last night) reported that Charles has relinquished number 1 status but neither will Lewis become the number 1. Equal status once again (which Leclerc has been perfectly used to)

Can you link a source to this? I don't want to question you, but I haven't seen it yet

You're right it wasn't Duchessa

I read it on @Corriere but they've since edited the article I think

[Spoutnik]

What will be of interest more than the signing is when and why did he sign.
If it's just to close his career with Ferrari
then this is what it is.
If it's because he saw what Merc had in store that's a bad omen, as was seen before.
However, if he saw some Ferrari engine data or data relating to the chassis, aero and suspension improvements, then that is something that will have us on the edge of our seats.

Explain me the logic of showing your opponent, engine, chassis, suspension data without signature?

As you phrase it there is no logic in showing a competitor.
However, when you are courting someone. You might hint of improvements in the hopes of getting them interested. It's a negotiation that goes over many months and there is some sort of trust built up.

LH is part of a very select group with many friends. He is able to hear credible rumours far beyond what we hear. Late in the negotiations when Ferrari feel they are close, LH could say something like "I hear that you have 20 HP over last year's engine" "Oh you heard that! Well it's hard to keep these things a secret for long." LH could say "prove it"
Or, "I might be interested if you can give me a feel of the improved downforce or drag, or can you show that you are addressing better tyre performance. etc etc.

It's up to Ferrari to decide if they want to risk it. And what is the real risk? The teams are committed to their designs now. Engines are frozen other than eg reliability. The other teams will quickly know in testing who has made progress a few weeks from now. There are too many ways to get an idea of other team's progress. There was speculation that LH knew about Mercs progress when he switched.

Maybe none of that happens but LH could attract Brit talent to the team. Perhaps there are top engineers from Merc or other teams that are heading to Maranello. He would be in a position to know.

If none of this is true then maybe it's 2026 that he is really after. Either way I seriously doubt that LH would go to Ferrari if he did not have good info that they are going to be competitive.

Also he tried the W15 in the sim... and if the feeling was the same as with the W14 he must have take the decision pretty quicky

[Luscion]

[codetower]

I think more so than the car performance, I think it has more to do with George Russell. I think Mercedes may have been looking to move forward with George Russell and make him the number one driver and that didn’t sit well with Hamilton. To him, he built that Mercedes team over the last decade, George Russell is the new guy and getting all the preference. I think him coming to Ferrari, he understands it’s not his team, it’s Charles‘ team. I think he’ll be more OK taking an equal role with Charles than he did with George.

I think Luis will be more OK coming here and taking on a leadership role, sharing his wisdom and expertise, and helping Ferrari win. Even if it’s Charles winning the drivers championship. Luis has nothing else to prove, he’s won it all. if he comes here and Ferrari wins, whether it’s him or someone else, he’ll have some credit for that. It’s a no lose situation for him.

[Spoutnik]

I think more so than the car performance, I think it has more to do with George Russell. I think Mercedes may have been looking to move forward with George Russell and make him the number one driver and that didn’t sit well with Hamilton. To him, he built that Mercedes team over the last decade, George Russell is the new guy and getting all the preference. I think him coming to Ferrari, he understands it’s not his team, it’s Charles‘ team. I think he’ll be more OK taking an equal role with Charles than he did with George.

I think Luis will be more OK coming here and taking on a leadership role, sharing his wisdom and expertise, and helping Ferrari win. Even if it’s Charles winning the drivers championship. Luis has nothing else to prove, he’s won it all. if he comes here and Ferrari wins, whether it’s him or someone else, he’ll have some credit for that. It’s a no lose situation for him.

Especially given how he outperformed Russell last year...

[LM10]

Now that we have a de facto confirmation coming from Merc factory, it's worth pointing out a few things.

The most important aspect of this transfer is Hamilton's age. Starting his first season with Ferrari, he will be 40. Is he past his prime? Hard to argue he is still peaking. His 2022 was downright depressing even for those who are not his fans, making his 2023 all the more impressive (and equally disappointing from Russell, who wasn't just unlucky more often, but outright beaten) so why make this move?

At his age and having achieved what he already achieved, it's incredibly hard to keep the focus and motivation as high as necessary to compete with the young guns. Just ask Djoković, Federer and Nadal (although tennis is a much more physical sport than F1) how much it takes... In Motorsport, switching teams is like falling in love again, it's refreshing, intriguing, invigorating, nerve racking - everything it takes to get the blood flowing and energising yourself. Switching teams near the end of a career is possibly a bit like mid-life crisis, but that just means it could make that much bigger difference.

Will Hamilton lose anything with this move? Absolutely not. Even if he gets slammed by Leclerc the way Rosberg slammed Schumi, no one can take away all his achievements so far and let's be honest - that's not really gonna happen. If he wins a few races, he will do it after (most likely) 3 or 4 years since his last win and it will be amazing. If he gets to win the title, he will be glorified all over the world and truly establish himself as the undisputed GOAT.

Will Leclerc lose anything with this move? Absolutely not. Even if he gets slammed by Hamilton, he will be slammed by the most successful F1 driver ever and let's be honest - that's not really gonna happen. If he is realistically about equal overall with a 40-year-old Hamilton past his prime, it will show he's good but should learn what needs to be improved. And if he is better than Hamilton and gets a title with Hamilton as team mate, it will show his greatness and level for all to see and no one could say he just had the best car.

Will Ferrari lose anything with this move? Absolutely not. Even the pay Hamilton will get will be turned into profit with strong merchandising efforts. If Hamilton is better and possibly wins his 8th title with Ferrari, it will be an amazing story and a truly historical moment. If Leclerc is better and possibly wins his 1st title with Hamilton as team mate, it will show Ferrari made the right call in trusting the future of the team to him.

Additionally, with Hamilton onboard Ferrari will get a decent boost of political power (especially in GB), which should not be underestimated. His move will also be a strong nod to all the engineers and other staff Ferrari is hiring and it seems the things are already well in motion. Vasseur has been rebuilding the team quietly and this is a big wing for him internally and externally. Many things will fall in line a lot easier now. Finally, they are dealing a huge blow to one of their big rivals and have most likely effectively taken them out of the future title fights for a while.

As far as they are all concerned - it's a win-win-win situation. Will there be a clear number 1? With a 7-time-champion joining and a long-term committed young prodigy you'd be daft to do it. And the people without the right understanding and awareness of team dynamics are no longer in Ferrari.

Where does this leave Sainz? No idea and I hope he finds a place where he gets the status he so much desires. He should be mindful of how he brings his Maranello tenure to a close, it might just make or break the rest of his career.

Well said. Fully agree.

[LM10]

If that’s true, it’s in line of what I believe, like I said before. It’s a probability Lewis - besides a few other reasons like refreshing his career - was said that 2026 onwards could be Ferrari’s time to shine.

[organic]

According to this Lewis could be on a 2+1 deal . Tentatively as not sure source quality

[Luscion]

According to this Lewis could be on a 2+1 deal . Tentatively as not sure source quality

This would align with what is being said about Ferrari thinking 2026 with the new regs will end their drought, Lewis gets to drive in the new regs in 2026 and if he likes what he sees he can have another year with them before either another contract negotiation or his retirement

[AMG.Tzan]

I have to admit I feel a bit sad for Sainz…

Why not renew him after having such a great season and being the only non Red Bull driver to win last year! He may not be on Leclerc’s speed in qualifying but he proved quite clever and fast enough during the races! This the second time in his career a team is basically off loading him even though he’s been performing great!

[ENGINE TUNER]

I have to admit I feel a bit sad for Sainz…

Why not renew him after having such a great season and being the only non Red Bull driver to win last year! He may not be on Leclerc’s speed in qualifying but he proved quite clever and fast enough during the races! This the second time in his career a team is basically off loading him even though he’s been performing great!

He's not performing great, he is getting lucky, and the teams have access to the data and can see it. They also see the bill for his crash damage.

[ENGINE TUNER]

I think more so than the car performance, I think it has more to do with George Russell. I think Mercedes may have been looking to move forward with George Russell and make him the number one driver and that didn’t sit well with Hamilton. To him, he built that Mercedes team over the last decade, George Russell is the new guy and getting all the preference. I think him coming to Ferrari, he understands it’s not his team, it’s Charles‘ team. I think he’ll be more OK taking an equal role with Charles than he did with George.

I think Luis will be more OK coming here and taking on a leadership role, sharing his wisdom and expertise, and helping Ferrari win. Even if it’s Charles winning the drivers championship. Luis has nothing else to prove, he’s won it all. if he comes here and Ferrari wins, whether it’s him or someone else, he’ll have some credit for that. It’s a no lose situation for him.

I think you are wrong, every word out of Merc have been confirming that Hamilton is the lead and number 1 driver.

Hamilton made this move purely on wanting to drive for Ferrari, not on car performance or on having some problem with Merc.

[Sidiamal]

The fact Ferrari were willing to give Lewis a long-term contract while Mercedes kept dangling 1+1 is probably a big reason for this move. Elkann and Vasseur clearly have a lot of confidence in Lewis Hamilton as a competitive package, Mercedes are not prepared to provide him with the same trust. Hamilton's also had a lifelong dream to drive for Ferrari at some point. What happens if Ferrari renew Sainz or get another driver, and Mercedes aren't willing to give Hamilton continuity? He's suddenly out of a drive, and with no top team to turn to, his dream impossible to fulfill.

Job security really cannot be understated when you're as old as Alonso and Hamilton. Remember that Alonso was very willing to commit his future to Alpine so long as they reciprocated. They didn't and he found a team that did. Likely this was the case with Hamilton as well.