Replacing the in-form Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for 2025 is a "risk," according to former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, will join Ferrari in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc. While the move has created major anticipation, questions remain about the 39-year-old's recent form and motivation after a challenging 2024 season with Mercedes.
"We can also be excited about Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari," Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko wrote in his Speed Week column. "He will have one of the strongest opponents in qualifying in Charles Leclerc. But in the race he (Hamilton) can still be world class if the car is right.
"However, we also saw at Mercedes that his motivation is limited if the car isn't very good. He needs to know that he can get on the podium with it. He's unlikely to go out of his way for a tenth place."
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya also predicts that Hamilton may take time to adapt at Ferrari.
"But six or seven rounds in, if the car is competitive, Lewis will win everything," Montoya said. "If Ferrari gives him a good car, he can definitely become champion again."
Meanwhile, former F1 driver Marc Surer believes the move is a marketing success for Ferrari.
"It will be interesting. Marketing-wise it is a huge win for Ferrari. They will sell a lot of cars because of him," Surer told formel1.de.
However, Montezemolo insists Hamilton's arrival goes beyond marketing but still represents a calculated risk.
"Hamilton is a phenomenon like (Max) Verstappen," Montezemolo told Rai Gr Parlamento radio. "His arrival at Ferrari is not a marketing operation—he wants to end his career by winning in red.
"But the choice of Lewis on one hand is a risk because you take a champion who has won a lot and who comes to Ferrari to win, and on the other hand there is Leclerc who despite having good races has never won (a title) and the years go by.
"It will be a very interesting year for Ferrari, provided that they manage to bridge the gap with McLaren to start already competitive from the first race. There also must be clarity of the management within the team," he added.
Montezemolo also lamented Ferrari's decision to part ways with Carlos Sainz.
"In these years, Ferrari's problem has not been linked to the drivers," he said. "Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are strong."
Sky Deutschland commentator Sascha Roos echoed Montezemolo's concerns, noting that Sainz and Leclerc performed well as a pairing in 2024.
"It was Sainz's best season in his career so far, with two race wins," said Roos. "Leclerc was even more consistent, but it was a good pairing at Ferrari with Sainz and Leclerc.
"I think Ferrari will regret the Hamilton move," Roos added. "It simply worked well with Sainz and Leclerc. And Sainz is not much worse than Hamilton, if at all.
"Hamilton will need a certain amount of time to get used to the car, and by then the train may have already left the station as far as the championship is concerned.
"With the way Sainz and Leclerc drove in the end—and remember the car will not change much in 2025—Ferrari will initially be weakened with Hamilton. And I would also be very surprised if Hamilton has Leclerc clearly under control over the course of the season."
As for Sainz's next step, Roos believes Williams is a temporary stop for the Spaniard.
"Williams was the best possible choice for him, because I can imagine that he will not stay there for long," he said. "Maybe he will go to Cadillac. And you also don't know what else is going to happen at Red Bull."
