Stay informed on all the biggest stories in Formula One. Sign up here to receive the Prime Tire newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday.
Following the launch of Ferrari’s 2024 Formula One car, the SF-24, team principal Fred Vasseur was keen to emphasize just how important this year was for everyone at Maranello. How focused and dedicated they were to making this season a great one to make up for 2023’s disappointment.
But in the wake of its bombshell signing of Lewis Hamilton, the most famous and most successful driver in F1 history, for the 2025 season, it will be hard to stop attention skipping ahead to next year.
It proved that way through Ferrari’s first media duties of the year. Even as Vasseur, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz discussed the new car and their hopes for the season that starts in just over two weeks, it was impossible to get away from the ramifications of such a seismic driver move.
Ferrari reminded journalists on multiple occasions today that the scheduled press conferences with team figures were about the new car launch, not Hamilton’s future arrival. But that did not stop the virtually-gathered media from teasing out a few more details.
“We are sure that he will bring us a decent step for the future and it will be a good challenge for everybody,” Vasseur said of Hamilton, adding it was a “huge opportunity” for Ferrari.
“But we want to be focused on 2024 and we don’t want to have any kind of distraction,” he said. “It’s also why we made the announcement so early, because it was important for us to be focused on 2024 for all of the season.”
The timeline for Hamilton’s move
News of Hamilton’s move came as a shock to the F1 world, yet it was hardly the work of a moment for those at Ferrari who helped make it happen. The signing was known to be the push of Ferrari’s president, John Elkann, and Hamilton has since written on social media about relishing the chance to fulfill a “childhood dream” by racing for the Scuderia.
But Vasseur’s previous relationship with Hamilton, back from his junior racing days before either had reached F1, no doubt helped move things along.
“You know that we have had a good relationship for more than 20 years now,” Vasseur said. “We were always in contact to speak about different things, and I think it came up naturally.
“I don’t know what was easy or what was not (in talks), but it came like this, step-by-step.”
The movement of negotiations meant that Leclerc was aware of Ferrari’s plan prior to signing his own contract extension, which was announced on Jan. 25, one week before it confirmed Hamilton’s future arrival.
“Obviously these kinds of deals are not finalized overnight, it takes time,” said Leclerc. “I was aware of those discussions before signing my deal. So it didn’t come out as a surprise after signing.”
Leclerc denied it had any bearing on his own contract talks, and said it was “good the team was transparent” with him about his new potential teammate. Once the news was announced, Hamilton and Leclerc messaged each other about the move that will see them form one of the most high-profile driver pairings in recent F1 history.
“Lewis is a great champion with a lot of experience and so much success,” Leclerc said. “It is always interesting to have a new teammate as you learn different ways of working and driving — even more so when my new teammate is a seven-time world champion.”
What next for Sainz?
The collateral damage in Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is Sainz, who admitted the move came as “a bit of a surprise, like everyone in the Formula One world”, even if he was aware before things got into the public.
“From my side, you can obviously understand that I got to know the news a bit earlier than anyone else,” said Sainz.
“But it’s true then I had some weeks to reflect, some weeks to prepare, and some weeks to also get ready for the car launch, for the first race of the season. It gives you a bit of time to digest it, to take your own conclusions, and to focus on the 2024 season that is ahead.”
Vasseur was full of praise for Sainz’s attitude in handling the news, admitting it was “not the easiest call of my life” to inform the Spaniard his contract would not be renewed.
“We had a long discussion as you can imagine, but I will be fully supportive of Carlos,” Vasseur said. “He is fully committed, and we know that we have to do the job together. We are together, we are professional.”
Sainz said he felt “very privileged” to still have a year left with Ferrari, and that his motivation and hunger was no different despite knowing it would be his last season in red. “I don’t think I need a new season to prove that or to show to anyone what I’m capable of,” Sainz said. “I’ve been in F1 for nine years and I think after nine years, especially the last three being at a team like Ferrari, everyone has seen more or less what I’m capable of.”
His next step remains unclear. Sainz previously said he wanted to start the new season knowing where he’d be racing in 2025, but now admitted the “scenario had changed quite a bit” in what could be a very fluid driver market. At 29, Sainz believes he is about to enter the most important three or four years of his career.
“I want to make sure I pick the right next destination for me,” Sainz said. “I want to take my time to think about it, to listen to all the options, have a look at all the options. Then I can just feel calm that when I take the decision, I have given myself enough time with enough information.”
Building for the future
2024 will be crucial in laying the foundations for the start of Hamilton’s time in red. All teams will place close to full focus on the next major rule change in 2026 from next January, meaning the 2025 cars are likely to be mild evolutions of this year’s models. If Ferrari’s major car changes result in the desired step forward, Hamilton will likely start his time at Maranello next year in a good competitive position.
Ferrari has been on a recruitment push to bolster its team and give the boost it needs to end the championship drought dating back to 2008. The knowledge that Ferrari has two stars in Hamilton and Leclerc as its driver pairing for the foreseeable future also helps Vasseur, now going into his second season as team principal, build for the future.
“The lineup is part of the equation for sure,” Vasseur said. “Also the team and the Scuderia and iconic brand is part of this. We’re building up something. The question of the drivers is a question of recruitment for the project, you can’t deny this. But for sure it’s a long-term, mid-term project that we have structures based on drivers.”
Vasseur did not want 2024 to be considered a “transition year” for Ferrari. “It’s quite important season for us, and I’m fully focused on this,” he said. “The best way to prepare something is to do a good job.
“We are focused on 2024, we want to get the best, we want to win races, we want to continue on the path (from) 2023, and we won’t be at all thinking about 2025.”
While Ferrari’s focus on 2024 and bid to avoid distractions is admirable, there’s no getting away from the fact Hamilton’s pending move is going to be a huge story through this year, only place extra scrutiny on how F1’s highest-profile team performs this season.
(Lead photo of Charles Leclerc, Fred Vasseur and Carlos Sainz: Courtesy of Ferrari)
Source link
credite