Lewis Hamilton‘s move to Ferrari is proof that the team are putting together a competitive car, claims Damon Hill.
Hamilton shocked he motorsport world when he revealed he would be departing Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 after 12 years with the side where he won six of his seven world titles.
Since he missed out on an eighth championship on the last lap of the season in 2021, Hamilton’s Mercedes have struggled to maintain pace with Red Bull, with the Brit not winning a race in over two years.
He hopes he will be able to finally win an elusive eighth championship with the Italian manufacturer, with the years remaining at the top of his game ticking down as he looks to move clear of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher in terms of titles won.
And Hill has suggested that could well happen. Speaking to Sky Sports, the one-time world champion suggested Hamilton putting faith in his new side suggests they are ready to mount a challenge and win the driver’s championship once again.
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Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is proof that the team are putting together a competitive car, Damon Hill has claimed
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Hill (left) commended his fellow Brit for ‘trying something different’ in joining the team
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Hamilton will leave Mercedes after 12 years with the side he won six world championships with
‘Lewis has taken command of his career and his direction,’ Hill said. ‘It’s not like Mercedes have said to him, “Oh, we’ve signed someone else”, which is what happened with me. But I think that, [with] this decision, we know it’s a given [regarding] the Ferrari benefits of the brand and all the other things that come with [it], the romance and the history and all of that, it’s a given.
‘But I think there’s more to this, which is [that] I thought there was evidence that Ferrari were starting to solidify as a competitive package.
‘They were starting to put together the components and they were starting to get results. And I think if you had a choice between Mercedes giving you the same equipment and Ferrari, I’d rather go to Ferrari and try something different.’
It seemed Hamilton would see out his career with Mercedes, having signed a new contract with the team late last year to take him through to the end of 2025.
He however activated a clause that would bring that deal to an end a year early, and he will leave them at the end of the upcoming season, in which Mercedes are once again not expected to be competitive.
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Ferrari will almost enter a new era with Hamilton joining the team and Frederic Vasseur leading the team forward
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Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc (right) at the team, with Carlos Sainz departing
Mercedes did finish above Ferrari in the 2023 constructors championship, pipping them to second in the table by three points after Hamilton pulled clear of Leclerc in the drivers table.
Hamilton will partner the Monaco-born star when he moves to Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz set to depart after five years.
