Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has disclosed that he was aware of a “secret” regarding Lewis Hamilton that the F1 world had “kept hidden” for “quite a long time.”
Last week, it was revealed that Hamilton would be joining Ferrari on a “multi-year contract” beginning with the 2025 season, shocking the Formula One community.
After the news, Hamilton expressed his intention to take on a new challenge; in the meantime, Mercedes, his current team, is looking for a replacement.
He is leaving Mercedes after more than 25 years of partnership, beginning when Mercedes was an engine supplier and owned a portion of Hamilton’s previous team, McLaren.
With the 39-year-old joining forces with Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz will depart the Scuderia at the end of 2024 when his contract expires.
The Italian media has claimed that the Monegasque driver knew that Ferrari had decided to add the seven-time world champion to the squad. He had previously discussed the possibility of having Hamilton as a teammate during the previous season.
Ferrari’s move for Hamilton, according to Formu1a.uno, was a “presidential decree,” which meant that the number of persons who knew about the situation “could be counted on one hand.”
However, according to Gasly, who spoke at the introduction of Alpine’s 2024 car on Wednesday, there could have been other F1 staff who were also aware of the negotiations.
After winning the 2020 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the Frenchman said to reporters, “Obviously he’s been a long time with Mercedes, but I was aware of some talks with Ferrari.
“Ultimately, he’s towards the end of his career. So it was either now or never.
“I think it was kept secret for quite a long time. I just wish him the best.
“Obviously, it’s sort of exciting with the driver market, and all of you guys come with it, which is normal. But I think ultimately, for the sport, he is the most successful driver of all time joining a new project, a new challenge.
“I’m sure everybody will follow that very closely.”
