Ferrari's president in the Formula 1 World Championship, Fred Vasseur, confirmed today that the signing of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to join the team in 2025 represents a tremendous opportunity for Ferrari as well as a challenge. Hamilton, 39, is the most successful driver in Formula 1 history with 103 victories. Furthermore, Ferrari is the most successful, oldest, and most illustrious team, but it has not won a title in the Formula 1 Championship since 2008.
In his first comments on the deal announced earlier this month, Vasseur told reporters during the unveiling of Ferrari's new car that the agreement eliminated distractions. He said, "It is a tremendous opportunity for the team, definitely. We trust that it will provide us with a good step into the future and will be a good challenge for everyone."
Vasseur, who has been close to Hamilton since the British driver participated in the feeder series for Formula 1, stated that Ferrari wanted to focus on the 2024 season, which is why the announcement about the deal was made early. Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz in the team, and Vasseur expressed confidence that the Spaniard would remain committed until the last turn on the last lap of the season's races.
The Frenchman added that informing Sainz of the decision was difficult, but the hardest call was to Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, who is an old friend. Vasseur remarked about the conversation with Sainz, "As you can imagine, it was not the easiest call of my life. The call to Toto was among the hardest."
