P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari following a lengthy period at Mercedes but has struggled to get up to speed at the Italian squad.
Head of the Audi F1 project, Mattia Binotto, believes Ferrari would have been better off signing Lewis Hamilton several years ago, before the end of his career. Hamilton made the switch to Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 season following his successful 12-year tenure with Mercedes. Despite his seven world titles, Hamilton has struggled to find pace and secure a podium finish with the Italian team. Binotto took over as Ferrari team principal in 2019, a time when Hamilton was dominating with Mercedes. While acknowledging Hamilton’s age and career stage, Binotto expressed regret that Ferrari did not acquire him sooner. Despite Ferrari’s current performance challenges and fierce competition, Binotto remains confident in the team’s ability to bounce back and improve in the future.
