Elkann: “Hamilton at Ferrari for success, not retirement”

Ferrari currently sits third in the constructors’ championship, having contested fourteen Formula 1 Grands Prix this season. The Italian team has two wins this year (Sainz in Australia and Leclerc in Monaco) and 11 podiums in total (the Spaniard has five and the Monegasque, six 6).

The Scuderia started the year strongly, but since the Canadian GP, they have only achieved two podiums (one for each driver). In February, the Maranello-based team announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton. This week, Ferrari president John Elkann compared the British driver to “the great sportsmen of the last decade” and discussed the “real competition” of Formula 1.

Hamilton and Ferrari, the right combination

Hamilton will be under contract with the Italian team from the 2025 season. Elkann said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Some things happen very quickly. 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.”

The Italian-American also compared the seven-time F1 world champion to “the greats of the last decade: Djokovic, Federer, Hamilton, Ronaldo, Messi ...”. The Ferrari boss asks and answers: “What do they have in common? Longevity. With dedication and sacrifice they are overcoming the physical limits due to age”.

“There is real competition in Formula 1 this year,” says the Ferrari president. The Italian-American explains: “There are four teams that are very close to each other (Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes) and this makes everything much more interesting. Red Bull started well, then Ferrari, McLaren, now Mercedes: it is a championship that is finally open.”

What counts for Elkann is “that you drive to the maximum of your potential” and concluded: “Those who have more experience, like Hamilton or Alonso, are more consistent.”