F1 champion MYSTIFIED after Ferrari Hamilton move

Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has admitted he is mystified by what is going on at Ferrari following the team's announcement that they had signed Lewis Hamilton.

A bombshell was dropped on the sport in February when it was announced that the seven-time world champion would be replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari next season, ending his long partnership with Mercedes.

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Since the move was announced, however, Hamilton's form has been poor, while Sainz has been delivering some consistent results for Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton did manage to claim his 104th career race victory last time out at the British Grand Prix, however, in a stunning return to the top step of the podium for the first time since December 2021.

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Hill confused by Ferrari decisions

Hamilton currently sits eighth in the drivers' championship, one point behind team-mate George Russell. Ferrari's drivers, meanwhile, sit third and fourth in the championship, with Leclerc leading his team-mate Sainz by four points. However, Sainz missed a race through appendicitis surgery, which halted his run of podiums to start the 2024 season.

Questions have been asked as to whether Ferrari are replacing the right driver, with Leclerc's form taking a nosedive since he claimed his only victory of the season at the Monaco GP in May.

Now, 1996 champion Hill has uttered his confusion at Ferrari's decision to ditch Sainz instead of Leclerc for the incoming Hamilton, yet failing to alter the team dynamic to match this huge decision.

“What’s happening is a mystery to me," he told the F1 Nation podcast.

"Carlos Sainz seems to be getting out of situations better and doing more than Leclerc with the material at his disposal. Yet Charles is the driver who will stay. I don’t understand what’s happening at Ferrari.

“Leclerc is certainly not receiving much help from the team. But he also seems a bit confused and I don't understand why.

"Instead, Carlos gives the impression of taking control of the situation. He imposes himself more, he is the one who says what to do. Perhaps this gives the strategists more confidence, something they don't perceive with Charles."

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