Enzo Ferrari’s son claims Lewis Hamilton held long-standing “desire” to join
Lewis Hamilton's long-held "desire" to race for Ferrari has been revealed.
Enzo Ferrari’s son Piero has revealed Lewis Hamilton’s long-time “desire” to race for the F1 team.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has completed a blockbuster switch to Ferrari after 12 years at Mercedes and is gearing up for his debut season in the Italian team’s iconic red colours.
Hamilton visited Ferrari’s famous Maranello headquarters for the first time last week, describing it as a “dream”, before he made his on-track debut testing a 2023 car.
Lewis Hamilton 'desire' for Ferrari
Speaking in an interview with Italian publication Autosprint, Piero Ferrari detailed Hamilton’s first visit to Ferrari when he purchased one of their supercars.
“The first time he came to us was when he bought LaFerrari, it was 2014, he spent a lot of time in the factory studying how to customise it,” he said.
“Then towards evening he said hello and I asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner with me.
“He was enthusiastic and I discovered a truly pleasant person, out of the ordinary.
“He came back other times, speaking mainly with the people in charge of the commercial part.”
Ferrari went on to explain that he held further talks with Hamilton over the years, revealing the 40-year-old Briton had expressed a long-standing “desire” to race for the Scuderia.
“Over the years we talked and joked, here and there,” he added.
“Several times he expressed to me his desire to race with us, but he was tied to Mercedes and we were tied to our drivers.
“Then the moment came when both Lewis and we saw the opportunity to start negotiations. And the signature arrived.”
Hamilton is seeking to win a record-breaking eighth world title with Ferrari.
Such a feat would not only end Ferrari’s 16-year wait for a world title, but also see Hamilton move clear of the Scuderia’s most successful driver, the great Michael Schumacher, in F1’s all-time history books.
He will partner Charles Leclerc in 2025 and make his race debut for Ferrari on 16 March at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
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