Lewis Hamilton has said he has never been to Maranello, contradicting Piero Ferrari's claims that the F1 world champion visited the Maranello factory.
Hamilton will make a sensational move from Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025 after more than a decade of racing with the Brackley-based team, where he won six drivers' championships.
The Hamilton-Ferrari merger made headlines around the world on the day it was announced, with Ferrari's share price soaring by more than 10% (equivalent to $7 billion) on that day, even though it goes far beyond F1 and sports.
Lewis Hamilton refutes claims of Piero Ferrari visit to Maranello
Hamilton's move to Ferrari is a much-anticipated partnership as both sides aim for title glory together, but the British driver has caused confusion after apparently forgetting that he visited Maranello a few years ago. ing.
Speaking to the media for the first time since Ferrari's announcement earlier this month, Hamilton said he had never visited Ferrari's factory headquarters in Italy. He feared his optics would be damaged if he was seen doing so.
“I haven't,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media in Bahrain on Friday when asked if he had ever visited Maranello.
“I bought my first Ferrari in 2010 (sic) [Hamilton took delivery of his LaFerrari road car in 2015 – editor]I think.
“That was my first gift to myself. I don’t have it anymore, but at the time I couldn’t go.
“I didn't think this was a good situation because I was with Mercedes.”
However, Hamilton apparently visited the Ferrari factory a few years ago, as Ferrari vice chairman Piero Ferrari (son of the late Enzo) recently talked about Hamilton's trip to Maranello to pick up the LaFerrari. I seem to have forgotten that I was there. .
In an interview with renowned Italian journalist Leo Turrini for Quotidiano Nazionale, the 78-year-old mentioned Hamilton's upcoming move to Ferrari, stating that the seven-time world champion had previously been interested in the red team. revealed that it was.
“Perhaps not everyone knows that Lewis was always sensitive to the charm of the Prancing Horse,” Ferrari said.
“He is our customer! He has visited our factory many times.”
Ferrari has made it clear that Hamilton has not visited the factory's F1 racing department, which may explain Hamilton's inconsistency, but he did come to Maranello to get hints about the new LaFerrari. said.
“He came in as a buyer for our car. He's more than just a speed ace,” he said.
“He has a genuine love for supercars. He didn't have any of our cars in his garage. One in particular…
“A model called LaFerrari. Hamilton came to Maranello to instruct me on how to set up the car. That's when we greeted each other cordially.”
At this point, Ferrari also revealed that Hamilton had been “joking” that he was interested in a seat with the Scuderia.
“We had Vettel in the team and I was happy with Seb,” he said.
“We had just renewed the German player's contract and things were going well.'' Lewis joked, “If you would have waited 12 months, I would have come…''
In 2014, Italian media reported that Hamilton was spotted in Maranello while purchasing a car, but the manufacturer has not officially confirmed this.
Lewis Hamilton reveals the mystery of Michael Schumacher
Hamilton has said in the past that he would choose Kimi Raikkonen's car when playing computer games when he was younger, but the British driver has updated that, choosing Michael Schumacher's Ferrari for his younger gaming sessions. He said he chose.
“For all the drivers who grew up and watched history and watched Michael Schumacher in his prime, we probably all sat in the garage and watched the screen pop up and see a driver in a red car. You look at it and think, 'What is it? I like being surrounded by red,''' Hamilton said when explaining the logic behind his desire to join Ferrari.
“When you go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see so many red-hot Ferrari fans, you're just in awe. In fact, it's been a huge success since 2007, although mainly from the Michael era. This is a team that hasn't.
“I saw it as a big challenge. Definitely, I've been playing GP2 since I was a kid. [computer game] Like Michael in that car. It's definitely a dream and I'm really, really excited. ”
Read next: Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari warn that their personalities are 'incompatible'
