Martin Brundle has emphasized that Ferrari should refrain from questioning their decision to retain Charles Leclerc while dropping Carlos Sainz in favor of Lewis Hamilton, as the deal is already sealed.
Ferrari raised eyebrows across the motorsport world by opting to extend Leclerc’s contract to “beyond 2024” and simultaneously announcing Hamilton’s arrival for the 2025 season.
Initially hailed as a bold move, recent performances by Sainz in 2024 have prompted both pundits and fans to revisit the wisdom of Ferrari’s decision.
Sainz has not only outperformed his teammate Leclerc on multiple occasions, besting him in all three races they’ve started together, but he also stands as the sole non-Red Bull driver to secure a Grand Prix victory since 2022.
Sainz’s impressive track record includes a podium finish in Bahrain, where Leclerc trailed in fourth place.
Moreover, he clinched victory in Australia, leading a Ferrari one-two finish, and more recently showcased his prowess by overtaking Leclerc in Japan to secure third place, maintaining his flawless podium record for the 2024 F1 championship.
Contrastingly, Hamilton, despite his status as a seasoned Mercedes driver, is enduring his worst-ever start to a season, having garnered only ten points thus far and failing to outshine his teammate George Russell in any Grand Prix event.
In light of these developments, doubts arise regarding Ferrari’s judgment, not only in signing Hamilton but also in their choice of retaining Leclerc over Sainz.
“Well, if they do, they certainly won’t be letting us know about it,” Brundle said to Sky Sports F1 podcast. They’ve made their decisions. You know, Charles is a world-class racing driver.
“What they’ve done is they have a great pairing, they’ve got a great pair now, and they are losing that which is just about manageable together considering how competitive they are, they’re future-proof and they’re just perfect, they’re great marketing kits. They’re great everything really.
“And then broken that up because they want to take Lewis because he is a seven-time world champion, and he transcends our sport by some margin.
“Have they let the wrong one go? Or should they have let either go? We can debate that all day long. But there’s no point in wasting heartbeats on that. That’s what Ferrari are going to do, and we’ll see what Lewis can do in a Ferrari.
“Will it be an Alonso, Vettel near miss? Or will it be a Michael Schumacher fantastic race-winning championship-winning crusade? We’re a few months away from finding out how that’s going to go.
“But there’s no point in Ferrari looking over their shoulder wondering that. They’ve made that decision that they wanted Lewis in the car, and they’ve got him and they’ll make the most of it.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur swiftly shut down discussions about the Hamilton scenario following the Japanese Grand Prix.
When a reporter attempted to broach the subject of an “alternative reality” where Ferrari had not already secured Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, Vasseur promptly intervened, signaling an end to the conversation.
“We have the same question each weekend,” Vasseur stated. “Do a copy paste of my reply of last week, next one.”
