Formula One: Signing Lewis Hamilton a ‘huge opportunity’ for Ferrari, reckons team boss Fred Vasseur

In early February, Lewis Hamilton confirmed that he will be leaving Mercedes and is set to join Ferrari in 2025. In the recent past, there have been speculations regarding Hamilton being in talks with Ferrari for a move. However, nothing came out of it but this time around, the move got confirmed afterHamilton resorted to an escape clause in his contract with Mercedes to leave the team in 2025 for Ferrari. Now, Ferrari team boss FredVasseur reacted on the signing of Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion, and feels 'it is a huge opportunity' for the team going ahead.

Talking to the reporters on Tuesday (Feb 13), Vasseur said, "A huge opportunity for the team, for sure. We are sure that he will bring us a decent step for the future and it will be a good challenge for everybody." Hamilton's move to Ferrari also confirmedthat Carlos Sainz will exit Ferrariat the end of the 2024 season. Vasseur also reacted to Sainz's departure.

Vasseur admitted that it was a tough call for him to tell Sainz that they had signed Hamilton."As you can imagine it was not the easiest call of my life," he recalled hisconversation with Sainz. "One of the most difficult was the one with Toto," Vasseur added.

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'I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family'

Early this month, Hamilton confirmed his departure from Mercedes and saidin a statement shared from his current team, "I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."

Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes in last August, however, the veteran driver used a release option that could be activated to allow him an early exit. He has won six world championships with Mercedes. The 39-year-oldwill race alongside Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. On the other hand,Mercedes are on the hunt for a new driver for 2025.