Mattia Binotto believes Ferrari waited too long to sign Lewis Hamilton, missing the chance to recruit him at his dominant best.
Mattia Binotto, director of the Audi F1 project, suggested that Ferrari would have been better off signing Lewis Hamilton several years ago, rather than at the end of his career.
Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season, ending a highly successful 12-year stint with Mercedes F1. The seven-time world champion is still struggling to find his rhythm within the Italian team and is yet to claim his first podium in red.
Binotto became team principal at Ferrari in 2019, while Hamilton was at the peak of his success with Mercedes. Replaced by Frédéric Vasseur, the Italian is now with Sauber, overseeing what will become Audi’s entry into Formula 1 in 2026.
“Hamilton is a certain age,” Binotto told Automoto.it.
“Ferrari signed him when he was already nearing the end of his career. Ideally, they could have signed him a few years earlier.”
Ferrari has not had the start to the season it had hoped for and has failed to compete with McLaren for wins, unlike at the end of 2024. The Scuderia still seems to be struggling to take that final step.
“As outsiders, perhaps we shouldn’t even be judging them. It’s clear that on-track performance and results are not good at the moment.”
“But I know every member of that team very well, and I know they are good, strong, and capable.”
“They will be able to improve the car and deliver strong performances in the future. And I believe Ferrari might, at that point, be satisfied with this year.”
Asked who he sees as the strongest driver currently on the grid, Binotto did not hesitate to name Max Verstappen. Could that position allow him to change teams at will for 2026?
“In the short term, Max remains the strongest. I think everyone would want Verstappen, but I’m happy with our two drivers.”
