Does Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton have a realistic chance of winning a historic eighth world championship? Now Ferrari president John Elkann has his say
After many successful years with Mercedes, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is ending his career with Ferrari. But Ferrari President John Elkann has no intention of “pre-retiring” Hamilton, as he has now explained in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport.
Elkann said: “Hamilton and Ferrari have found each other. He comes to us to win. And we will be stronger because of him as we prepare for the challenges of the future.”
“We are talking about a great athlete who is very motivated to become world champion for the eighth time. The recent races show that. Lewis is certainly not coming to Ferrari to enjoy his retirement. He really wants to know.”
Hamilton has this constant hunger for success in common with “all the greats of the past decade”, says Elkann. He points to professional athletes such as Novak Djokovic (37 years old) and Roger Federer (42) from tennis as well as Ronaldo (39) and Lionel Messi (37) from soccer.
“What do they have in common? Longevity,” says Elkann. The 39-year-old Hamilton and the aforementioned athletes manage “with enormous willpower” to wrest top performance from their bodies even at an advanced age. That deserves great respect.”
And that could become crucial in the future, says Elkann. Because there is once again “real competition” in Formula 1 with four teams currently at the top. “That makes things much more interesting, because the championship is finally open again.”
For a top team like Ferrari, it is therefore “important that we reach our full potential,” explains Elkann. “And those with more experience, like Hamilton or Alonso, can be more consistent here. That can make the difference in the end.”
Hamilton had already sealed his switch from Mercedes to Ferrari before the 2024 season, causing great turbulence in the Formula 1 driver market. However, it is now clear where Carlos Sainz, who has to relinquish his Ferrari cockpit to Hamilton for 2025, is heading: Sainz is moving to Williams.
