Helmut Marko explains the ‘effect’ of key Lewis Hamilton decision

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Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is undoubtedly one of the biggest driver moves Formula 1 has seen in the last decade.

The most successful driver in the championship will partner with one of the most successful teams, with Hamilton set to go up against Charles Leclerc in the famous scarlet red cars.

The news triggered the driver’s merry-go-round as Carlos Sainz is now a free agent at the end of the year having yet to decide on his plans, while Esteban Ocon is also set to leave Alpine opening up more seats that will be changed.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said he was ‘surprised’ by Hamilton’s decision and explained the ‘effect’ the move will have on the driver market in the long term when speaking to grandprix247.com.

Helmut Marko explains the ‘effect’ Lewis Hamilton’s move will have on F1

Hamilton is already one of the most well-known sporting figures in the world, having been named one of the most marketable sports athletes in the world, via SportsPro.

Marko expects this will have an effect beyond the results on track for Hamilton, who is hoping the move will enable him to achieve his eighth world title in F1 and end Ferrari’s long wait for another championship since the 2008 season.

“I heard it one day before it was announced. I was really surprised. And on the other hand for Formula 1, it’s very good,” said Marko.

“This is the most successful driver we have in history, and together with Ferrari even the share price went up. So you see the effect on the marketing and the money side. What happened normally you start around July, or August to talk about drivers for next year.

“Moving by Hamilton so early means everything was earlier. So most of the deals are already done. And yeah, we’ll see. It will be definitely interesting.”

The key factors to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move

The F1 world was taken by surprise when Hamilton announced he would join Ferrari, particularly because he intended to end his career at Mercedes having been under their umbrella for most of his career.

After activating a release clause in his multi-year Mercedes contract, it enables Hamilton to make the team switch without any repercussions.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Hamilton will once again link up with Frederic Vasseur, the team principal who managed the seven-time world champion during his years in the junior single-seater championships Formula 3 and GP2.

Ferrari has recently hit problems on track that resemble what Hamilton complained about in his difficult years at Mercedes, but he is upbeat about the challenge it should bring.