The news of Lewis Hamilton switching to Ferrari in 2025 hit the Formula 1 community like a hurricane. While there have been rumors many times in the past about Lewis and Ferrari joining forces, it was hard to believe that he would ever leave Mercedes. Even the team was surprised when the announcement came out.
Toto Wolff later acknowledged that Lewis had told him about the move beforehand. However, Fabio Quartararo, the MotoGP star for Yamaha, knew about the move way before Toto Wolff.
According to Wolff, the 7-time champion surprised him with the reveal over a casual breakfast 1 day before the official announcement. While the possibility of Hamilton’s move had been a topic of discussion between them over the years, the timing caught Wolff off guard. But if Hamilton kept the news so close to his chest, how did Fabio Quartararo get to know about it even before the Mercedes TP?
The 2021 MotoGP champ is a big fan of Formula 1. He enjoys attending races whenever possible and has built relationships with some of the drivers, including Lewis Hamilton. Both the Brit and the Frenchman are sponsored by Monster, which occasionally brings them into contact. However, Quartararo recently visited Maranello, where he shared an interesting conversation with Piero Ferrari, son of the legendary Enzo Ferrari, as Piero showed him around the factory.
In a recent conversation, Fabio Quartararo revealed that Piero hinted at Lewis Hamilton signing with Ferrari during his visit, though he didn’t understand the significance at the time. Despite being an eager fan of the sport, Quartararo admitted to being caught off guard by the news “It was strange because I was visiting Maranello a few days before the announcement,“ Fabio told Motorsport.com. “Piero said something about it, but at the time I didn’t understand it. I didn’t realize it until it became official,“ he added.
Having grown up knowing Hamilton as a Mercedes driver, Fabio admitted that the prospect of seeing him don Ferrari’s iconic red colors will feel rather surreal. “I always remember Lewis at Mercedes,” Quartararo said. “I don’t even have a sense of his time at McLaren. It will be strange to see him in red,” the MotoGP champ added.
Interestingly, the Frenchman has also been linked with the rumors of leaving Yamaha at the end of 2024.
Will Fabio Quartararo switch teams like Hamilton at the end of 2024?
A new season of MotoGP is almost upon us and it could very well be Quartararo’s last season with Yamaha, with his contract set to expire at the end of 2024. Despite claiming the title for the Japanese manufacturer in 2021, discussions regarding a contract renewal between Quartararo and Yamaha have yet to take place.
During the testing in Sepang, Malaysia, Fabio spoke about his contract situation. “There has been a response to what I asked for, although the result of this is perhaps not what I wanted,” the Frenchman told Motorsport.com. The rider also revealed that he has been in initial talks with other brands, a fact Yamaha is likely aware of. “I am quite happy with what they’ve [Yamaha] done. But it’s a question of seeing how things develop in the short term,” he added.
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