Hamilton’s arrival is “wonderful”, reckons Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna

By Balazs Szabo on 24 Jan 2025, 12:49

Ahead of the arrival of the seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna reckons that it is “wonderful” that the Briton does not fear to make such a change in his career.

Lewis Hamilton announced his shock departure from Mercedes on the 1st of February. The announcement caught the Formula One community by surprise, as the seven-time world champion was set to race for the Brackley-based outfit until the end of 2025.

However, an exit clause in his contract allowed Hamilton to leave the team in 2025 if he wished, and the Briton elected to terminate his contract in a bid to seek for a new challenge at Ferrari next year.

Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in the history of Formula One, tied with the great German seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher on the number of world championship titles.

Attending an event in Milan during the launch of the new partnership with Ferrari’s new sponsor Unicredit, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna urged the Scuderia to take inspiration from Hamilton.

“At 40, he changes and puts himself to the test in a different culture because Latin and Anglo-Saxon cultures are different. It’s wonderful not to fear change.”

Asked about his sentiments ahead of the new season, Vigna reckoned that the Scuderia does not fear from making any mistakes because it wants to strive for innovations which sometimes involve failures.

“Keep the wheels on the ground. We’ve done good work in the Scuderia. However, it’s important to stay grounded, learning from mistakes, which we will make.

“If you’re not making mistakes, it means you’re not innovating, not trying anything new. The important thing is to recover from them.”

Reflecting on the new the partnership with UniCredit, Vigna added: “We are thrilled to embark on this exciting partnership with UniCredit, a bank that embodies the same spirit of innovation and excellence that defines our brand.

“Together with them, we will celebrate our heritage and continue to redefine the limits of possible in racing and financial worlds.

This collaboration represents a further commitment to our clients, fans, and communities, ensuring they are at the heart of every initiative. United, we look forward to a future filled with passion and performance.”