Fans decide where Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari switch ranks among Formula 1’s worst driver moves

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One of the most interesting aspects of Formula 1 takes place away from the circuit and in various boardrooms and secret discussions that happen in the paddock.

Although fans love watching the tensest moments unfold on the track, what happens in the F1 driver market can sometimes be even more exciting.

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari last season set off a chain reaction of moves that left only two teams, McLaren and Aston Martin, with the same line-ups as the year before.

Which driver made the worst team switch in the history of Formula 1?

Let us know in the comments!

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Going into this season, Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull promotion, the introduction of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac and Arvid Lindblad’s move to Racing Bulls from F2 are the only changes from the previous year.

They will all be hoping that they fare better than the aforementioned seven-time world champion during his first year with Ferrari, which many fans have now described as the worst driver move in F1 history.

Another two drivers who regularly come up in conversations about the worst driver moves are Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso.

Both drivers made unfortunate choices on several occasions during their time in F1, while fans also suggested the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi and Emerson Fittipaldi made missteps in their careers.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

F1 fans suggest Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was worse than Fernando Alonso re-joining McLaren

On the F1 Oversteer Facebook page, fans were asked what the worst driver move in F1 history was.

More than 1000 people voted for Hamilton joining Ferrari, while nearly 600 chose Ricciardo’s move to Renault, and a further 365 thought Alonso returning to McLaren was the biggest mistake.

On top of this, many commented on other moves that they felt should be included, with one comment reading: “Jacques Villeneuve to BAR.”

Another read: “[Emerson] Fittipaldi to his brother’s team,” while one comment suggested: “[Giancarlo] Fisichella to Ferrari. [Damon] Hill to Arrows. [Yuki] Tsunoda to Red Bull.”

‘Honestly, Ricciardo to Renault wasn’t as bad as him going to McLaren,’ suggested one fan, while another comment said: ‘I know it probably wasn’t the worst move, but surprised no one has said [Michael] Schumacher to Mercedes.”

“Possibly could add Alesi choosing Ferrari over Williams,” said another fan, and this was followed up with: “Alesi to Ferrari, then to Benetton, arriving at each just as it became irrelevant.”

The two-time Spanish world champion came up again, with one person stating: “Alonso to anywhere after Renault. Including back to Renault….”

Finally, one comment read: “Danny Ric literally signed a death warrant on his career when he put pen to paper on a Renault contract.”

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Lewis Hamilton is relying on the 2026 Formula 1 season to justify his Ferrari move

Considering how close Ferrari came to winning the 2024 constructors’ championship, Hamilton’s struggles last year can’t be put solely on him.

The team massively underperformed and failed to win a Grand Prix, although Hamilton’s 86-point deficit to Charles Leclerc also didn’t do him any favours.

Ferrari have strengthened their backroom staff going into 2026 in the hope that this will give them an advantage over their rivals.

A description of how the 2026 rule change might benefit Hamilton from Adrian Newey might also give the tifosi hope that they could see their 19-year-long wait for a drivers’ championship come to an end.

However, these are all speculative thoughts right now, with both Hamilton and Ferrari needing to take a serious step forward over the winter break to discount what went wrong last year.