Ferrari fans flooded to Fiorano to enjoy a first glimpse of Lewis Hamilton in their iconic red overalls yet the reason the Scuderia scrapped Carlos Sainz made Jacky Ickx ‘sad’.
Ickx does not believe Ferrari signed Hamilton to a two-year contract, which boasts an option for a third, purely for sporting reasons. The iconic Scuderia racer is also adamant that Ferrari had a driver line-up that worked in Sainz and Charles Leclerc as they were often very close.
Sainz spent four years at Ferrari beside Leclerc after replacing four-time champion Sebastian Vettel at Maranello in 2021. Over those seasons the Spaniard outscored the Monegasque in 2021, registered four Grand Prix wins to six and bagged 21 Grand Prix podium finishes to 30.
Jacky Ickx is ‘sad’ Carlos Sainz left Ferrari after signing Lewis Hamilton for ‘marketing’
A chance to land seven-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion Hamilton was just too enticing for Ferrari to snub, though, as the Scuderia started 2024 with Sainz and Leclerc both in the final year of their contracts. Ferrari signed Hamilton last February after renewing Leclerc to 2029.
But Ickx does not think Ferrari looked purely at signing Hamilton as their chance to have the driver with the most Grand Prix wins, podiums and pole positions in F1 history. Instead, Ickx believes Ferrari axed Sainz as Hamilton is among the most marketable athletes in the world.
READ MORE: Seven best drives of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career ahead of Ferrari move
“Sainz has done very well at Ferrari,” Ickx told Mundo Deportivo. “Ferrari were tempted to sign Hamilton, probably for marketing reasons, and probably because Lewis wanted a new experience and to include Ferrari in his history.
“There’s nothing to reproach Carlos for at Ferrari. Carlos has been successful, he has won Grand Prix but that’s in the past now. He has to think about what’s next.
“There are many important aspects to F1, not just politics. There are also economics [and] marketing but it’s all about winning.”
Seeing Sainz leave the Scuderia owing to reasons beyond his results has left Ickx ‘sad’ given what the Spaniard showed with Ferrari. But the Belgian, who finished second in the drivers’ standings with Ferrari in 1970, believes Sainz must now look ahead to his career at Williams.
“The Leclerc-Sainz partnership worked!” Ickx continued. “It worked because they both won races and they were always very close to each other. I don’t know how it happened.
“The only thing I can say is that it’s sad that Sainz is leaving Ferrari. But you have to move on and you can’t constantly think about what could have been and why it didn’t happen. No. You have to be focused on what you have and do the best with what you have.”
Lewis Hamilton is the 11th-most marketable athlete in the world
Ferrari did not necessarily need to sign Hamilton for marketing purposes given the Scuderia are one of the most coveted brands in the world. But when the chance to land someone of the calibre as Hamilton arrives at your door, it is naturally hard to say no to the extra boost.
READ MORE: The best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1
According to SportsPro, Hamilton is the 11th-most marketable athlete in the world as of its 2024 findings. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles came first, ahead of Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, NBA icon LeBron James, WNBA player Caitlin Clark and football legend Lionel Messi.
Additionally, football icon Cristiano Ronaldo ranked ninth, NFL superstar Travis Kelce – who is also the boyfriend of Taylor Swift – came 12th and tennis player Coco Gauff ranked 13th. After Hamilton in 11th, Max Verstappen in 31st and Leclerc in 33rd were the top F1 drivers.
