Hamilton not coming to Ferrari to retire – Elkann

Aug.19 (GMM) Ferrari chairman John Elkann insists Lewis Hamilton is not on a fast-track to Formula 1 retirement.

The seven time world champion is leaving Mercedes at the end of the year to become Charles Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari – ousting the on-form Carlos Sainz.

“It’s tragic that he (Sainz) is having his best season at Ferrari and is not getting a seat in a top team,” Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko told Speed Week. “But apparently there is a clause in his (Williams) contract that allows him to leave if an offer comes from a much better placed team.”

Although the nearly 40-year-old Hamilton’s talent and successes are beyond doubt, some have expressed surprise that Ferrari is changing its current lineup.

Former F1 driver Marc Surer told motorsport-total.com that he understands the decision.

“Leclerc is always on the limit, and perhaps also more nervous than Sainz, who seems more relaxed,” said the Swiss. “But if you want to be world champion, you have to choose the faster one. And that is Leclerc.”

Another factor, however, is Hamilton’s age – and the fact that he regularly talks about his ever-nearing and inevitable retirement.

In a new interview with Esquire magazine, the 39-year-old Briton revealed: “I do have mentally a plan of where I would like to extend to. I’ve just got to strategise and sequence things.

“So it’s like, how much do you want to train? How can you stay sharp and be able to do all those things you have going on, and still be able to compete with those young guys in their 20s.”

But Elkann insists he’s not worried. “We are talking about a great sportsman who is very motivated to become world champion for the eighth time, as the last races have shown,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He is certainly not coming to Ferrari to enjoy retirement.”

As for Leclerc, he says he’s not fazed by the challenge of being paired with one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. “It’s going to be a great opportunity to learn from one of the best ever,” he told Gentleman’s Journal.

“And second, I think it is going to be an amazing opportunity, also, for me to be able to show what I’m capable of, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya told F1 Maximaal that he doesn’t expect the Hamilton-Leclerc combination to clash. “I think they will build a good relationship,” he said.

“I think it will definitely be interesting, and it will definitely be interesting how Ferrari is going to manage that situation. Because Leclerc will want to make a point.

“Lewis has won seven world titles. How many wins does Charles have? Six? In what, six years?

“Both drivers will be fascinating to follow. We’ll find out,” Montoya concluded.

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