F1 legend and former Ferrari driver Jackie Ickx thinks the Italian team leapt at the chance to sign Lewis Hamilton “probably for marketing reasons”.
It has emerged that the first photo of Hamilton at Maranello, standing in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house with a F40 supercar, broke the record for the most ’liked’ Formula 1-related image on Instagram in history.
The photo has 5.6 million ’likes’ and counting.
“Emotions aside, how much is the seven time world champion worth to Ferrari?” wondered La Repubblica newspaper. “Judging from his first photo published last Monday, a lot.”
The newspaper also published a summary of the estimated and lucrative value per sponsor of Hamilton’s first photo in Ferrari gear.
“It’s certainly worth it for Ferrari already,” respected British commentator Martin Brundle is quoted by Sky Deutschland, even though he also wondered out loud if the 40-year-old is now “past his prime”.
8-time grand prix winner Ickx, 80, acknowledged that Hamilton’s incredible marketing value will have weighed into the decision to sign the famous Briton.
“Carlos Sainz did very well at Ferrari,” he told El Mundo Deportivo. “But Ferrari were tempted to sign Hamilton probably for marketing reasons. And probably also because he wanted a new experience and to include Ferrari in his history.
“We’ll see,” Ickx, from Belgium, added. “But there’s nothing to criticise Carlos for. He was successful, he won grands prix – but that’s in the past now.
“We have to remember that there are many important aspects to F1, and not just politics. There are also economics, marketing, but in the end it’s all about winning. It’s sad to see that Sainz is leaving Ferrari, but you have to move on and you can’t constantly think about what could have been and why it didn’t happen.
“No,” said Ickx. “You have to be focused on what you have and do the best with that.”
Hamilton and Leclerc will be back on the track this week in Barcelona in the 2023 car, before Hamilton gets his first taste of the 2024 Ferrari another week later for a Pirelli test.
