Ferrari chairman John Elkann believes Lewis Hamilton has many more years to compete and will not move to the team just to “enjoy his retirement.”
Maranello is expected to be the final stop of a glittering career for Hamilton but despite the driver being 40-years-old by the time of his arrival, Elkann has refuted that he is past his best.
Hamilton will turn 40 early next year but his former team-mate Fernando Alonso has already shown it is still possible to compete at the highest level. That, then, could be a reason why Elkann was confident Hamilton can still perform and suggested it is not a case of the driver enjoying his retirement in Italy.
“Some things happen very quickly,” he told Corriere dello Sport of the Hamilton move. “This was the moment when he and Ferrari found each other.
“He wants to win the eighth title, Ferrari wants to win and with Lewis they are stronger. He doesn’t come to Ferrari to enjoy his retirement and it’s important to have motivated people around, who want to win.”
Asked explicitly what a 40-year-old driver brings, Elkann said Hamilton’s experience and consistency is what counts in the modern era of
In Formula 1 there is real competition now, with 4 teams very close: Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes. It is important to always go to the maximum of your potential: those with more experience have more consistency as demonstrated by Hamilton and also Alonso himself and consistency counts.
“With dedication and sacrifice they are overcoming the physical limits due to age. It is also true that we are in a historical phase in which we live longer and also the careers of athletes are lengthening.”
As for Hamilton, he said it was “the hardest decision that I think I’ve ever had to make.
“Obviously I’ve been with Mercedes for, I think it’s like 26 years they’ve supported me, and we’ve had an absolutely incredible journey together. We’ve created history within the sport, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.
“But I think ultimately I’m writing my story and I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.
“Of course, I think for every driver growing up, watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by the red,” Hamilton said.
You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the sea of red Ferrari fans and you can only stand in awe of that. It’s a team that’s not had huge success recently, since 2007, and I saw it as a huge challenge. Without a doubt, even as a kid, I used to play [on games] as Michael in that car, so it definitely is a dream and I’m really, really excited about it.
