Flavio Briatore, who previously managed Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso during their championship seasons in Formula 1, still maintains a strong interest in the sport. Despite being banned from the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix due to his involvement in the infamous Crashgate scandal, Briatore recently shared his thoughts on the possible blockbuster transfer of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari. According to Briatore, if Hamilton were to join Ferrari, he believes the British driver would perform similarly to Charles Leclerc, whom he considers a highly talented and underrated driver. Briatore even predicts that Hamilton may struggle to stay ahead of Leclerc in the 2025 season.
Briatore also addressed the impact of driving non-competitive cars on the performance of drivers like Hamilton. He suggested that when top drivers find themselves in cars that are not up to par, their contributions to the team can be limited. This may be a reference to the recent decline in performance of Mercedes and how it has affected Hamilton’s motivation. Despite being a record holder for wins in the Grand Prix, Hamilton has failed to increase his tally of 103 wins in the past two years. This must be a bitter blow for a driver who was used to winning consistently throughout his career, at least until 2022. If the first two races of the 2024 season are any indication, Hamilton may face another winless season in 2024.
Whether Ferrari will be able to provide Hamilton with a car capable of winning races next year depends on their ability to overcome the dominant Red Bull team. Currently, Red Bull’s RB20 car is setting the pace and leading in all aspects of the sport. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured two consecutive wins in the first two races of the 2024 season, leaving the other nine teams behind. According to Briatore, beating Red Bull this year or even in 2025 will be a tough task. He highlights the significant advantage that Red Bull has over its competitors, with Verstappen finishing the Bahrain Grand Prix an impressive 22 seconds ahead of his teammate Perez. In Saudi Arabia, Verstappen’s advantage was eight seconds, with an additional five-second penalty for Perez due to an incident in the pit lane.
Briatore continues to praise Verstappen, comparing his dominance in the Red Bull car to the likes of Ayrton Senna at McLaren, Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, and Fernando Alonso at Renault. He expresses his confidence in Ferrari’s ability to remain as the second-best team on the grid, but emphasizes the need for significant progress in their car’s performance. According to Briatore, no driver in the world can make up for a car’s performance deficit, highlighting the importance of Ferrari’s development to challenge Red Bull’s supremacy.
