Christian Horner has commented on Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari, suggesting that Hamilton must have seen something promising in Ferrari’s future. Hamilton shocked the motorsport community earlier this season by announcing that 2024 would be his final year with Mercedes, even before the first race had begun.
Horner believes Hamilton’s decision shows that he sees something beneficial for his future at Ferrari. He stated, “He’s obviously seen something there that he believes in that serves him better than staying where he is. I think for F1, a Lewis-Ferrari tie-up is really exciting.”
However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff quickly dismissed the idea that Hamilton left because of any dissatisfaction with the W15 car. Wolff said that Hamilton had just driven the car in the simulator shortly before the announcement and that the team was still progressing well.
Mercedes has had a better season compared to the past two years, with Hamilton winning two races, at Silverstone and Spa, marking his first wins since his 2021 title battle with Max Verstappen.
Despite Mercedes’ improved performance, Horner believes Hamilton is making his move at the right time. “It will be very interesting to see how Lewis acclimatises to life at Ferrari,” Horner said on TalkSPORT.
“He’s obviously coming out of a very comfortable environment, one that he knows very well over the last 10 years, or more than 10 years. So that’ll be a change for him.”
Horner added that Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s new teammate, is also a quick driver, and Ferrari seems to be gaining momentum. “For sure, a driver of Lewis’s quality is always going to be a challenger. And I think, Ferrari, he could be just jumping at the right time.
I think he’s obviously seen things that he’s chosen to change teams for because he believes in the future of Ferrari,” Horner explained. “So that’s going to be fascinating to see how that plays out.”
For Hamilton, joining Ferrari is a dream come true, as he has long admired the team, especially because of Michael Schumacher’s dominance. “I feel like… it was obviously the hardest decision that I think I’ve ever had to make,” Hamilton said after the announcement.
“Obviously I’ve been with Mercedes for, I think it’s like 26 years they’ve supported me, and we’ve had an absolutely incredible journey together. We’ve created history within the sport, and it’s something I take a lot of pride in and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved. But I think… it was time to start a new chapter.”
This season, Mercedes has three wins but is sitting a distant fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari, with five wins, is still in the fight to finish higher, with the chance to beat McLaren for the teams’ trophy. Ferrari is currently 36 points behind with 147 points still available. Red Bull is another 13 points behind Ferrari.
