Giancarlo Minardi has expressed scepticism about Lewis Hamilton’s potential to bring success to Ferrari, pointing to the car’s performance issues rather than the driver’s capabilities.
Despite Ferrari’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix last season with Carlos Sainz and narrowly missing the second spot in the constructors’ championship to Mercedes, Minardi underscores that success isn’t assured with Hamilton’s arrival.
In a conversation with Quotidiano, Minardi acknowledged the marketing brilliance behind acquiring Hamilton, stating, “If we talk about marketing, it’s a brilliant operation, so hats off to John Elkann.”
However, he differentiated the commercial aspects from the sporting perspective, “But if we talk about Formula 1 then the situation changes.”
Minardi elaborated on his viewpoint, emphasizing the sport’s essence over commercial interests, “I, speaking instead of motorsport and that’s it, wouldn’t have taken someone like Hamilton.”
Addressing concerns about age, Minardi clarified that it doesn’t factor into his scepticism, “No, I swear that in my reasoning the registry office doesn’t matter,” he assured. Highlighting the enduring competitiveness of older drivers like Fernando Alonso, he pointed out, “Fernando Alonso is even older than Lewis but is still very strong. And Hamilton is still competitive too.”
Given the team’s long-standing challenges, he questioned the rationale behind Ferrari’s driver choices: “So we have to ask ourselves: in all these years has Ferrari lost because of the fault of those who drove it? No, they have not been without titles for a generation due to the responsibility of those behind the wheel.”
Reflecting on Ferrari’s strategic decisions, Minardi voiced his preference for nurturing young talent over signing established veterans, “In any case, I would have replaced him with a young talent, not with a forty-year-old champion.”
Despite his criticisms, Minardi remains open to the possibility of Hamilton proving him wrong, “If Lewis wins the world championship with Ferrari, I will be the first to celebrate. I limit myself to expressing a scepticism which I hope is unfounded.”
