F1 winner questions if Ferrari are ‘regretting’ Lewis Hamilton-Carlos Sainz decision

Former F1 driver Mark Webber has questioned whether Ferrari may be “regretting” their decision to drop Carlos Sainz for Lewis Hamilton.

The F1 driver market was rocked ahead of the 2024 season when it was announced in early February that Hamilton would be sensationally quitting Mercedes to join Ferrari on a long-term deal next year, leaving Sainz without a drive.

Sainz has enjoyed a strong start to the season and is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race, while he has so far outperformed teammate Charles Leclerc - all despite missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to an appendectomy.

“Look if you can’t get motivated because you don’t have a contract in your top pocket, you’re in strife,” eight-time grand prix winner Webber told C4.

“I think he’s a man on a mission now, he’s got the bit between his teeth, and obviously he’s driving brilliantly.

“Ferrari, you know, are they regretting their move?”

However, ex-F1 driver turned pundit and commentator Martin Brundle feels it is a pointless debate as he assessed Ferrari’s decision on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

“They’ve got a great pairing they are losing that,” Brundle said. “They are just about manageable together considering how competitive they are. They are future-proof and they are just perfect. They are great marketing kits, they are great everything really.

“They’ve broken that up to take Lewis because he’s a seven-time world champion and he transcends our sport by some margin. Have they let the wrong one go? Or should they have let either of them go?

“We could debate that all day long but there is no point wasting heartbeats on that. That’s what Ferrari are going to do and we will see what Lewis can do in a Ferrari.

“Will it be an Alonso-Vettel near-miss, or will it be a Michael Schumacher, fantastic race-winning or championship-winning crusade? We’re a few months away from finding out how that’s going to go.

“There’s no point Ferrari looking over their shoulder and wondering that. They made their decision, they wanted Lewis in the car, they’ve got him and they’ll make the most of it.”