Hamilton could be the ingredient Ferrari need to win championships · RaceFans

Fernando Alonso expects Lewis Hamilton to raise Ferrari to a more competitive level when he joins the team next year.

Ferrari was the only team besides Red Bull to win a race last year. They began the season before in strong shape, briefly propelling Charles Leclerc into the lead of the drivers’ championship.

Hamilton’s unexpected move to the team was confirmed earlier this month. Alonso, who raced for Ferrari between 2010 and 2014, and came close to winning the championship twice during that time, said the news caught him by surprise.

“I was training, actually, that day, so I missed all the stress from everybody,” he told media including RaceFans yesterday. “So I was just one day late on the news.

“Probably it was a surprise, I will not lie, but not because of the change itself. It was just because he, from the outside, seemed like he was very linked with Mercedes and very loyal to them and things like that. And it was a little bit unexpected.”

Alonso admitted “I don’t know the reasons behind” Hamilton’s decision to move, but expects it to cause some disruption in the driver market for 2025. “I didn’t pay too much attention and probably next winter is going to be more of a theme,” he said. “Because it’s still one year ahead I didn’t spend much time thinking.”

The Aston Martin driver was also surprised by Hamilton’s statement he was ‘fulfilling a childhood dream’ by joining the Scuderia. “It was not his childhood dream 12 months ago, no? Or two months ago, I guess, because it was a different dream.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

However given the potential Ferrari has shown in recent seasons, Alonso believes the seven-times world champion’s arrival could make them contenders for titles once again.

“I hope he enjoys the experience,” he said. “I think it’s a very special team. It is more special when you win and that’s the thing, you need to win.

“It’s a few years already that they have a very fast car and they were fighting for big things and maybe Lewis can bring that extra, to fight for the championship.

“The car is there, at the end of last year, even with a very dominating Red Bull car, Ferrari was still able to match the lap time and to be faster than them, in most of the qualifying. So I think the car should be fast enough.”