Jean Alesi thinks Lewis Hamilton will give Ferrari one ‘gigantic’ factor over Charles Leclerc

Follow us on Google Discover

Ferrari hero Jean Alesi thinks Lewis Hamilton will give the Scuderia a ‘gigantic’ boost when he leaves Mercedes for Maranello in a key area Charles Leclerc will not match.

The 2024 Formula 1 campaign is yet to begin. But the 2025 driver market has already sprung into life with Ferrari signing Hamilton after he activated an escape clause in the 39-year-old’s contract at Mercedes. He had only signed up in August to spend 2024 and 2025 in Brackley.

Hamilton will now replace Carlos Sainz in Maranello after the Scuderia decided to target the seven-time F1 champion over giving the 29-year-old a new contract. Sainz and Leclerc were both due to be out of contract after 2024. But Ferrari only decided to retain the 26-year-old.

Jean Alesi feels Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari ‘gigantic’ media value

Former Ferrari F1 star Alesi believes Leclerc will be fully aware of the driver he will share the garage with when Hamilton arrives from Mercedes in 2025. But the Frenchman also believes Hamilton will hand the Scuderia a ‘gigantic’ boost from the Briton’s unmatched media value.

“I think he is aware of the fact that in a year he will find himself alongside a driver who is strong competitively,” Alesi told Corriere della Sera. “[Hamilton is] very strong in terms of intelligence applied to racing and, in addition, gigantic if we think about his media value.”

Lewis Hamilton was the seventh most marketable athlete of 2023

Alesi is right to note that Leclerc will not match Hamilton’s media appeal when they become teammates at Ferrari. In October 2023, SportsPro Media ranked Hamilton in seventh with its world’s most marketable athlete list. Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo was only in 27th place.

SportsPro Media puts Lionel Messi as the world’s most marketable athlete to LeBron James, Alex Morgan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Megan Rapinoe and Mikaela Shiffrin. Hamilton is the most-marketable F1 driver in seventh, followed by Max Verstappen of Red Bull in tenth spot.

Lando Norris of McLaren also ranked in 25th place, just ahead of Leclerc with the Ferrari ace the 28th most-marketable athlete of 2023. No other Formula 1 driver ranked inside the top 50. Golfer Rory McIlroy – who invested in the Alpine F1 team in 2023 – ranked in 29th place.