Ferrari Mission 44 Pledge Lasting Partnership

Hamilton and Ferrari commit to a lasting partnership with Mission 44, focusing on inclusivity and growth.

Lewis Hamilton was asked about MotoGP, and the fact that Marc Marquez, a six-time champion in the premier category and eight-time title winner overall, is joining Ducati’s factory team next year.

The Mercedes F1 driver is thrilled that MotoGP might see one of its best riders on the best bike on the grid, and he believes Marquez will benefit from it.

“He’s incredible,” Hamilton declared. “I love MotoGP and am very excited about the future of this sport. I think they’ll likely learn a lot from what’s happened with Liberty and Formula 1 in recent years, and I think there will be significant growth. But the races are incredible. And then seeing Marquez on a Ducati, that’s going to be cool. I mean, the Ducati has always been a very cool bike.”

“From an athlete’s, a driver’s point of view… it might be the same for some of you, who have been in a job for a very long time. It’s great to have something new, a new environment, a new office, new people to work with, and new challenges.”

“There are also the nerves, all those things you’re not sure about, in the sense that you don’t know how you’ll fit into an environment, for example. But it’s exciting. And it’s great to be welcomed into a new space. So, yes, I think it’s really cool. I’m looking forward to seeing him on that bike.”

Hamilton was also asked about the work he would do with Ferrari to promote inclusivity, and the possibility of seeing Ferrari adopt a black livery like Mercedes, which is obviously not planned: “It’s been a while since I’ve driven a black car, so I’m probably not going to push too hard on that point soon.”

“But no, we’ve talked about the impact of the work and John and the team have a lot of philanthropic work to do, so we will work very closely with Mission 44 and with the impact of the work they’re doing. I think within the sport, we need to continue to do more, but outside, we’ll be doing a lot together. It’s really exciting.”

He reveals that discussions with Scuderia for his contract took place with John Elkann and Fred Vasseur: “Yes, he’s the boss, and John Elkann, with whom I have excellent relations, has given me considerable support. With those two, Fred and John, we’ve worked closely together.”