SUMMARY
- MotoGP Champion, Fabio Quartararo knew of Lewis Hamilton's deal with Ferrari before everyone else.
- The news was given to Fabio from one of the key members in Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari was perhaps the news of the year. It surprised the entire F1 community. There were only a handful of those who knew that the move was going to happen. It was only those who were close to Lewis and a few people within the Ferrari circle.
It was reported that Charles Leclerc was told Lewis Hamilton would be joining the team. Ferrari used this information to convince Charles to sign a contract extension with the team. Apparently, People within Ferrari broke the news to one other athlete before it became official.
Moto GP Champion was informed about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari
The 2021 MotoGP Champion, Fabio Quartararo is a close friend to the Ferrari family. Before the news became official, Fabio was invited to the Ferrari factory for a tour with Pierro Ferrari. During this tour, he was informed about Lewis Hamilton joining the team.
“It was strange because I was visiting Maranello a couple of days before the announcement and Piero Ferrari suggested it to me,” Quartararo said.
“But at that moment I didn’t know how to interpret it, I didn’t get it. I didn’t fall for it until it became official.”
#MotoGP star Fabio Quartararo says Ferrari hinted at its signing of Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 #F1 season during a factory visit, but he didn’t realise it at the time.
Read more ⬇️https://t.co/RZTXC0WHHN
— Autosport (@autosport) February 18, 2024
Being an F1 fan himself, he was not sure how to process this news. He was quite surprised to find out that Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes after 12 years. After all, Hamilton had just signed a contract extension which was supposed to last until the end of the 2025 season.
Who negotiated the deal between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari?
Ferrari has always been interested in signing Lewis Hamilton. They tried to do so in 2018 to replace Kimi Raikkonen. However, at the time, Lewis was winning Championships with Mercedes. Now Hamilton thought it would be the right time to start the negotiations with the team.
Hamilton has often spoken about joining Ferrari in the future and winning a Championship with them. Now he will get to fulfill that dream.
Gazzetta reports that John Elkann wants Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, basically creating a super team. https://t.co/zHgXWv7GNI pic.twitter.com/8as4QB5cDi
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) May 23, 2023
Ferrari Chairman, John Elkann has kept in touch with Lewis Hamilton over the years. Hence, Elkann led the way for Ferrari as they negotiated the deal. One of Hamilton’s agents was also present from his side to make sure that both parties could benefit from the deal.
There is no doubt that Lewis will have a challenge to beat Charles Leclerc in the team. Given that Charles has been wearing the red outfit for a much longer time, there is no doubt that he will have the advantage with the team. However, no one can count out the 7-time Champion. He is the most experienced and successful driver on the grid. Charles is looking to learn from his experienced teammate in 2025.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton will be able to perform better than Charles Leclerc in Ferrari? Post your answers in the comments section below.