Ferrari boss names the big similarity between Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi

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Lewis Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in Formula 1 history. Hamilton has won seven world champions, a feat only Michael Schumacher has previously managed.

He sits at the top of the all-time list for race wins, having recently increased his tally to 105 with victories in Great Britain and Belgium. Hamilton inherited top spot at Spa after Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified for running an underweight car.

Before his emotional triumph in Silverstone, the 39-year-old was on a victory drought stretching back to late 2021. That was largely down to Mercedes’ regression from their dominant heights, though he did increase his podium tally in that time (it now stands at a record 201).

Of course, all that remains for Hamilton is to win an unprecedented eighth title. He’ll feel he deserves it after the bitterly controversial events of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when he lost out to Max Verstappen on the final lap.

In pursuit of that objective, Hamilton is making a sensational move to Ferrari. He’ll be replacing the Williams-bound Carlos Sainz and partnering Charles Leclerc.

Many in the F1 paddock feel Hamilton is making a mistake after a shift in the competitive order. Mercedes look stronger than they have at any point in the ground-effect era, while Ferrari have lost all their momentum after a strong start to the season.

Ferrari chief John Elkann says Lewis Hamilton shares the ‘longevity’ of Lionel Messi

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari chairman John Elkann rejected any notion that Hamilton had joined the team to ‘enjoy his retirement’. Instead, he’s determined to end their title drought, which stretches back to 2008.

Elkann compared Hamilton to a host of all-time sporting greats, including Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Messi is widely regarded as the best football player in history, having won the Ballon D’Or a record eight times – most recently in 2023.

Elkann says Hamilton shares the same longevity as the Argentine, who lifted his sport’s highest individual honour for the first time in 2009. The former McLaren driver won his first Grand Prix back in 2007.

His victory in Silverstone came 17 years, one month and eight days after that maiden triumph – the longest such gap F1 has ever seen. Kimi Raikkonen is second on the list with a 15-year, six-month, 28-day interval.

“He certainly doesn’t come to Ferrari to enjoy his retirement, he wants to play it out,” Elkann said. “After all, just look at the greats of the last decade: Djokovic, Federer, Hamilton, Ronaldo, Messi, what do they have in common? Longevity.”

Mercedes director names the one thing that could have convinced Hamilton to stay

This is Hamilton’s 11th season at Mercedes, and it’s been an unmatched partnership. No driver had ever won more than five championships with a single team (Schumacher at Ferrari), but he rattled off six in seven years at Brackley.

But while many would have expected him to retire with the Silver Arrows, he decided to make one last move instead. Hamilton wanted Mercedes to show more commitment in negotiations, but in the end both parties settled on a 1+1 deal that made the 2025 season optional.

Director Andrew Shovlin believes Hamilton would have stayed had they remained dominant. But he clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that he has a better chance of winning the title in Italy.

During negotiations, Ferrari mentioned the possibility of signing Adrian Newey. Given his legendary status, that would have been a major carrot, but Newey now looks set to join Aston Martin instead in an early blow to Hamilton.