Formula 1 CEO Offers Important Advise To Lewis Hamilton Ahead Of Ferrari Debut

Saajan Jogia | 5 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain (44) arrives for the Las Vegas Grand Prix drivers parade at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has offered important advice to Lewis Hamilton ahead of his Ferrari switch next year, stating that it will be important for the seven-time world champion to learn Italian to "integrate into the culture" at Ferrari. Domenicali admitted that Hamilton will find himself in a very different environment than what he has been used to at Mercedes.

The Briton's move to Ferrari next season could be seen as one of Formula 1's most anticipated moves. The end of the current year marks the end of Hamilton's 12-year stint with Mercedes, which saw six of his drivers' titles and eight Constructors' Championships. The 39-year-old driver, who turns 40 next month, revealed earlier this year that his Italian wasn't very good, a point that might have been picked up by the former Ferrari team boss.

Domenicali was the Ferrari team principal from 2008-2014 and thus remains in a strong position to advise Hamilton before he officially begins his new role next year. Speaking ahead of his move to the Italian team, the F1 CEO said:

“[Hamilton] will bring a lot of interest [to Ferrari].

“He is learning Italian to understand how to integrate into our culture. 

“I told him it is also essential for him to be able to do that. At Ferrari, he will be in a different environment [than what he is used to].”

However, Ferrari's current team principal, Fred Vasseur, who is not well-versed in Italian, thinks it isn't important for Hamilton to learn the local language considering "99 percent of the job is in English." Speaking at Ferrari's annual end-of-season press conference, Vasseur said:

"It's a touchy point for me.

"You know that 99 percent of the job is in English.

"I think it's good to speak a little bit Italian for the mechanics and for the relationship into the team.

"But I'm not sure that it's crucial for the performance."

Vasseur's statement complements his admission that Hamilton does not need to relocate to Ferrari's base in Maranello since he is required to travel to race venues for the major part of the year. He added:

"I think it's not the issue because we will start the season doing some tests, then you are going for the first five races in six weeks that we won't be able to come back in the factory.

"You know that the seasons now are a bit crazy."