Peter Windsor believes Ferrari didn’t consider one crucial thing when they signed Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is only weeks away from embarking on his incredible new adventure with Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion will join the Maranello outfit to partner Charles Leclerc after having 12 record-breaking years with Mercedes.

Joining the Silver Arrows from McLaren in 2013, Hamilton went on to win six of his seven championships and help the team win eight constructors’ titles in a row from 2014-2021. Hamilton produced a vintage performance in his final race with Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, climbing from P16 to fourth.

Hamilton has signed a £39m-a-year deal with Ferrari that could rise as high as £83m with bonuses. The 39-year-old’s deal runs until the end of the 2026 season, but the Italian team have the option to extend by a further year.

The Brit’s switch to the Maranello squad is arguably the biggest driver transfer in F1 history as the sport’s greatest driver of all time statistically links up with the most successful team.

While the prospect of Hamilton driving a Ferrari is huge, Peter Windsor does not believe the team considered one crucial thing when they signed him.

Peter Windsor doesn’t think Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton for commercial reasons

Hamilton will be replacing Carlos Sainz in 2025, who knew he would be leaving Ferrari even before he stepped into the SF-24 in February. The Spaniard will join Williams on a multi-year deal.

It is easy to say that Hamilton is a bigger signing than Sainz as Ferrari will have the opportunity to substantially increase their commercial value by having a seven-time world champion in the car.

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But speaking on his YouTube channel, Windsor does not think commercial reasons played a part in Ferrari signing Hamilton, stating that the team would be ‘very happy’ from a commercial standpoint if either of their drivers won the championship.

“I think [there are] a lot of commercial reasons for Charles Leclerc to win the championship as well, from a Ferrari perspective, and I think they’d be very happy with either of them,” he said.

“I think, yes, Sir Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is a big thing. I’m not sure it was the reason that they hired him, commercial reasons. I think there’s a bit of Freddy Vasseur and history going back to ART and I think there’s also, he’s just so good and well-rounded and he’s at the right stage in his career to be right there with Charles.

“In other words I don’t think it was: ‘Well we really want Carlos Sainz, he’s definitely a great racing driver but we’re going to make a lot more money if we have Lewis Hamilton.’ I don’t think there was that much thinking along those lines, from what I gather.”

Can Lewis Hamilton compete against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari?

While it is an exciting transfer, there is an element of concern around Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. Hamilton will have his preferred right side of the garage with the team, but he will have to get accustomed to new surroundings, new team members and a new language.

Furthermore, the Brit comes to the team off the back of the lowest finish in his F1 career as he finished seventh in the standings in his final season with Mercedes. Hamilton is on a poor run of form, particularly on Saturdays as he struggles to perform in qualifying.

Nico Rosberg says Hamilton will be ‘very worried’ about bringing his form from Mercedes to Ferrari as he is up against Leclerc, who is well-established with the team and is one of the strongest drivers over one lap.

But Guenther Steiner thinks Hamilton needs the challenge of going up against Leclerc as the Monegasqye driver could revitalise the 39-year-old and get him back to the form everyone knows he is capable of.