Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari, Flavio Briatore skeptical: "I wonder if it makes sense"

Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari, Flavio Briatore skeptical: “I wonder if it makes sense”. Flavio Briatore admitted he wouldn’t have brought Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton, Oliver Bearman, Charles Leclerc, 2024 F1

2025 has just begun, and the hype for the Formula 1 season, officially kicking off on March 2, is already through the roof. The main focus for all fans is, of course, Lewis Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari. On social media, the buzz is enormous: F1’s official account opened the year with a tweet “certifying” that Lewis Hamilton was officially a Maranello driver as of January 1. The tweet garnered over 7 million views.

The commercial aspect of this deal is one thing, but the sporting aspect is another. On paper, putting a seven-time world champion in a car that came just a handful of points away from winning the Constructors’ title can only be a good idea, but F1 is more complicated than that. Flavio Briatore, who returned to the circus a few months ago and is fully involved in Alpine’s restructuring project, knows this well. In an interview with the German newspaper *Sport Bild*, the Italian manager shared his thoughts on the “transfer of the century,” and—as always—his opinion is far from conventional.

“I wonder if it makes sense”
“It will be strange to see Lewis in a Ferrari. Of course, I respect these decisions, but I also wonder if it makes sense,” Flavio Briatore said. “Ferrari had two top drivers like Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. I don’t understand why this great pairing was broken up. It’s not my place to pass judgment, but if I had been in a position of responsibility at Ferrari, I wouldn’t have signed Lewis.”

However, as a businessman, Flavio Briatore cannot ignore the commercial benefits this operation brings to Formula 1 as a whole.
“In principle, it’s good for Formula 1 if Lewis drives for Ferrari,” acknowledged the Italian manager. “And anything that’s good for Formula 1 is also good for me. I’m certain it’s also good for television and ratings. Let’s wait and see. Hamilton winning with Ferrari? That would make Formula 1 even more interesting,” Flavio Briatore concluded. “But we must not forget that Charles definitely has the advantage of speaking Italian within the team.”