F1 champion refutes ‘short-sighted’ Hamilton dismissal

Jacques Villeneuve has lamented Flavio Briatore for dismissive remarks he made about Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari.

The Alpine adviser questioned the decision for the Italian team to sign the seven-time F1 champion, arguing that it should have kept Carlos Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc.

“Ferrari had two top drivers in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz,” the 74-year-old said. “I don’t understand why this great duo was torn apart… if I had been in a position of responsibility at Ferrari, I would not have contracted Lewis.”

It is an opinion the 1997 F1 drivers’ champion views as “short sighted” as it does not adequately appreciate the value the British driver brings to not only its F1 race team, but the brand at large.

The Canadian highlighted the immense financial pulling power a household name like Hamilton can bring to the Scuderia, describing it as the “best move” the Maranello-based squad has ever made.

“That’s very short-sighted from Briatore suggesting he can’t see the logic of signing Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari,” the 53-year-old told The Action Network.

“You just have to look at the value of Ferrari the minute they signed him. You can’t look at Ferrari just as a racing team. It’s a whole industry. Yes, they are there to win, but winning helps them sell more cars and adds to the value of Ferrari.

“That’s what the business is and signing Lewis was worth millions and millions, so it was the best move they’ve ever done.”

Ahead of the 2025 season getting underway, Hamilton and Ferrari has received a slew of comments directed at them.

They range from suggestions similar to Briatore’s to the likes Eddie Jordan and Ralf Schumacher casting doubt over the 40-year-old’s ability to continue performing to the required level.