However, Hamilton and Sainz's final seasons with their old teams were markedly different, with Sainz proving why he is one of the most sought-after drivers on the grid, and Hamilton suffering arguably his worst ever season.
While both drivers finished the 2024 season with two wins each, Sainz secured fifth place in the standings, two points behind fourth-placed Oscar Piastri, while Hamilton finished down in seventh behind team-mate George Russell.
Will Hamilton succeed at Ferrari?
Hamilton's misery was compounded by his qualifying struggles, going down 19-5 across the season to Russell, and is now set to go up against one of the best qualifiers on the F1 grid in Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc has achieved 26 pole positions across his career, including three last season, despite the Ferrari's struggle with consistency in 2024.
"It will be strange to see Lewis in the Ferrari. Of course I respect such decisions, but I also wonder whether it makes sense," the Italian told Sport-Bild.
"Ferrari had two top drivers in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. I don't understand why they split up this great pairing. It's not my job to judge, but if I had been in a position of responsibility at Ferrari, I wouldn't have signed Lewis.
"In principle, it's good for Formula 1 if Lewis drives for Ferrari. And everything that's good for Formula 1 is good for me too. It's certainly good for television and the ratings too. Let's wait and see, time will tell how well he drives in the Ferrari."