Striking F1 question answered: 'Why did Ferrari sign Lewis Hamilton?'

Three-time Le Mans winner Allan McNish has answered a striking question in Formula 1 this season: why did Ferrari sign Lewis Hamilton?

It is a question which has been asked on an increasing basis over recent races, with the seven-time world champion still searching for a first official podium in red. Sprint victory was claimed in China, but a top three in a grand prix continues to elude him.

Hamilton has required significant time adjusting to not only Ferrari's SF-25, but also to the team's culture and general work ethic, all which have proven to be staggeringly different to what he experienced with Mercedes.

As a result, consistent big results have not been possible, whilst Charles Leclerc has secured four podiums and 16 points more than the 40-year-old. 

Some have questioned why Carlos Sainz was removed for Hamilton, given the Spaniard was entering the prime years of his racing career. 

Speed has been shown on the odd, rare occasion; however, the 105-time race winner still boasts more experience than all but one driver on the current grid – Fernando Alonso. 

With that in mind, McNish is certain Hamilton was signed by Ferrari to bring the vast experience of how to win titles, something it has missed since Sebastian Vettel departed at the end of 2020.

Discussing Hamilton trying to improve how Ferrari works, McNish said on a recent episode of the RacingNews365 podcast: "Yeah, that's a very valid point. Because I would come back to, why did Ferrari sign Lewis? Clearly, from a marketing point of view, it is gold. 

"But on the other side of it, it's a very expensive marketing project if it's not about racing, and ultimately, it was about racing. 

"It was about bringing, I would say that experience and talent and someone that has won multiple world championships with another team, and also not in ancient past, but latterly, and to feed off that, because that was an area that they maybe felt that they were a bit weaker. 

"But it does take time, and you can't expect him in that environment to walk in and just dominate, because it's not. And, you know, we have to also, I think be very understanding that Lewis is not at the beginning of his Formula 1 career, he's working on his experiences. 

"He's working on the understanding of all of those races, how he won them. And that's where, I think, when you get into a difficult scenario, like when he won the British Grand Prix last year. He can still pull it out, but he does have a quick team-mate."