Sir Jackie Stewart has expressed surprise at Lewis Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The move marks the end of Hamilton's 12-year stint with Mercedes, where he secured six of his seven world championships.
The three-time world champion Stewart shared his assessment with Sky Sports, acknowledging the significance of Hamilton's switch to the Italian team.
The British racing legend believes Hamilton's vast experience in the sport could prove valuable at Ferrari, noting: "He's more experienced than he was last year and the years before that, he knows the business very well."
Lewis Hamilton is just a few weeks away from his F1 debut
REUTERS
Stewart emphasised Ferrari's unparalleled global recognition in motorsport.
"Ferrari is the biggest name in the world," Stewart added.
"If you went to a Masai warrior in the middle of Africa and said, 'Do you know anything about Ferrari?' They would know the name Ferrari."
Despite his initial surprise at Hamilton's move, Stewart remains optimistic about the team's prospects.
"Going to Ferrari is very colourful, very exciting and usually very successful. I wouldn't count them out, to put it that way," the three-time world champion added.
Ferrari will field one of F1's strongest driver pairings in 2025, with Hamilton joining Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to fight for regular race wins
REUTERS
The Italian team has endured a lengthy championship drought, having not secured a constructors' title since 2008.
However, Ferrari demonstrated their potential last season, narrowly missing out on the constructors' championship.
They finished just 14 points behind McLaren in a closely fought battle for the title.
The team hopes Hamilton's arrival will help restore their winning legacy in Formula 1, as they aim to end their 17-year wait for championship success.
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft believes 2025 could present Hamilton's best opportunity to secure a record-breaking eighth world title.
Speaking at the Autosport Awards, Croft explained: "What I would say is this might be Lewis' best chance of an eighth World title."
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Jackie Stewart is confident Lewis Hamilton can still competePAHis optimism stems from teams' development priorities ahead of the 2026 regulation changes.
"Teams won't be throwing developments week after week after week, because they've got 2026 to think about," Croft noted.
He particularly highlighted Ferrari's motivation: "I do think Ferrari will be the most keen to get the most out of 2025 of the big four teams because it's so long since they won something."
