Briatore openly questions Ferrari decision to sign Hamilton

Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore has claimed he "would not have contracted" Lewis Hamilton if he was a decision maker at Ferrari.

The 74-year-old believes the Scuderia already had a "great duo" in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and does not understand the reasoning behind replacing the latter.

Sainz has joined Williams after the Italian team secured Hamilton's signature before the start of the 2024 season, which left the Spaniard unexpectedly seeking a new home in F1, a process that took over half of last year.

The former Benetton and Renault team principal is not alone in questioning the virtue of the Maranello squad's choice, with former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan also criticising the move.

"It will be strange to see Lewis in a Ferrari. Of course I respect such decisions, but I also wonder if it makes sense," Briatore told Sport Bild.

"Ferrari had two top drivers in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. I don't understand why this great duo was torn apart.

"It is not my job to pass judgement, but if I had been in a position of responsibility at Ferrari, I would not have contracted Lewis."

Hamilton success at Ferrari would make F1 'more interesting'

Hamilton, who will be 40 years of age before the season starts, is still searching for the elusive and record-breaking eighth F1 drivers' championship, but will face a tough task in beating new team-mate Leclerc.

Nonetheless, Briatore can see the upside to the switch, especially for F1 itself - even if he anticipates the Monegasque driver will hold an advantage.

"In principle, it is good for Formula 1 if Lewis drives for Ferrari, the Italian said. "And everything that is good for Formula 1 is also good for me.

"I'm sure it's also good for television and ratings. Let's wait and see. Time will tell how well he drives in the Ferrari."

"That would make Formula 1 even more interesting," he added when discussing Hamilton achieving success at the team.

"But we must not forget that Charles certainly has the advantage of speaking Italian in this very special Italian team."

Briatore, however, remains unsure as to whether Hamilton will be able to get the whole Ferrari team behind him, in the same way Michael Schumacher was able to do: "Michael was something very special. In many ways."