F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton will find his Ferrari move “more difficult” due to his age.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton shocked the F1 world when he announced in February that he would be leaving Mercedes in order to make a blockbuster switch to Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton will be 40 years old when he makes his Ferrari debut at next year’s season opening Australian Grand Prix and three-time world champion Stewart says he was “somewhat surprised” by the timing of the move.
“I’m somewhat surprised by that, because of becoming 40 and going into a team that has very recently become very competitive,” Stewart told the RacingNews365 podcast.
“It [Ferrari] went down quite a lot. There have been many management structures within the Ferrari Formula 1 team that have been disruptive.
“They’ve now got a more stable situation around them. And Lewis is seeing, when you go to the Ferrari factory, you’re impressed.
“Hardly any other brand, if you like to call it, in Formula 1, has had anything like the same continuity as Ferrari has had for such a long time.”
Stewart added: “It’s more difficult for him to do it, I think, at 40 years than it would have been if he was 25 or 30 years.
“But he’s still got the skill and talent. That is obvious at present, such as at the British Grand Prix this year [Hamilton ending a two-year winless drought].
“It’s unusual [going to Ferrari], but at some point he has to retire as a racing driver. He feels that time has not yet arrived, and I can understand that.”
However, Stewart can understand the appeal of driving for Ferrari, having come close himself to joining the legendary Italian outfit before backing out of a deal.
“I committed to drive for Ferrari, but I had to tell them that it was no longer practical because it had become almost an everyday change at Mr Ferrari’s moment. So I never did drive with Ferrari,” he explained.
“But when I went there, I was taken aback. It was so impressive. The spirit of the place was amazing. The Italians are great people, they explain themselves very carefully and excitedly, and I’m sure that’s what Lewis has experienced too.”