Briatore’s advice to the seven-time world champion is clear: even a driver of Hamilton’s caliber, often likened to “Batman,” may face struggles if Ferrari fails to produce a more competitive car.

After years of swirling rumors and subsequent denials, Hamilton is set to embark on a new chapter in his racing career, having signed a multi-year contract with Scuderia Ferrari.

This momentous announcement came after a day filled with anticipation and drama. It was on a Thursday evening that Hamilton reportedly convened a meeting at Mercedes’ Brackley headquarters to inform his current team of his decision.

READ: Red Bull warn Mercedes not to approach Daniel Ricciardo to replace Lewis Hamilton

For the upcoming racing season, Hamilton will continue as a Mercedes driver before making the switch to Ferrari, adding intrigue to both teams’ prospects for the 2024 season.

In the previous season, Ferrari managed to secure a Grand Prix victory, distinguishing themselves as the sole victors between the two rival teams.

They capitalized on an uncharacteristically off-color weekend from Red Bull, securing a win at the Singapore Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz behind the wheel.

In contrast, Hamilton endured a winless campaign, extending his winless streak to a daunting 45 races.

This drought represents the longest barren spell of his illustrious Formula 1 career.

While the reasons behind Hamilton’s decision to trade the silver of Mercedes for the iconic red of Ferrari remain a matter of speculation, he has described it as the realization of a “childhood dream” and expressed his “excitement” about the “new opportunity” on the horizon.

Regarding the wisdom of Hamilton’s choice, Briatore acknowledges his surprise at the move but wishes both Ferrari and the British driver the best.

He points out the critical factor in Hamilton’s potential success – the performance of the car Ferrari brings to the track.

Briatore states, “I’m very surprised by Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, he must have had his reasons.

“The only thing to say is to wish Ferrari and the British driver the best.

“Why surprised? I think he has warned the team these days, Mercedes has done a lot for him. But they will get used to this reality.

READ: Breaking: Christian Horner speaks out as Red Bull launch investigation into ‘serious’ accusations

“I think Hamilton’s decision has really thrown them for a loop. Do I agree with the choice? I don’t know.

“First of all you have to get the car right, you can also have Batman in the team, but if the car is not competitive it’s not like the driver can make a difference. It is essential that the car works.”

In essence, the success of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari stint hinges not only on his exceptional driving skills but also on Scuderia Ferrari’s ability to provide him with a competitive car, a sentiment echoed by the seasoned motorsport figure, Flavio Briatore.

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The Montreal race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve witnessed an astounding attendance of 345,000 fans, marking a record-breaking number for the event. 

Despite the challenging weather conditions, the devoted audience witnessed Max Verstappen’s triumphant sixth victory of the season, which also marked Red Bull’s 100th win in the team’s history.

Briatore provided race commentary for Il Riformista and credited the electrifying atmosphere to the enthusiastic crowd. 

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Reflecting on the audience, he stated: “The outline of the race was animated by a large crowd. 

“To all the spectators who go to the grand prizes, especially those who participate all weekend, we should recognise that they are heroes.”

The inclement weather posed a significant challenge, with heavy rain engulfing the circuit. 

However, the unwavering determination of the spectators stood out as they endured the downpour. 

Briatore commended their dedication, saying: “They resisted under the Canadian flood; it’s not like it was drizzling—hurricanes came down.

“And staying there for seven to eight hours in the pouring rain, in the cold, without a place to shelter from the weather is truly commendable. 

“So the Formula 1 fans are good; they are truly unique.”

The endurance and passion displayed by the Canadian Grand Prix spectators underscored their unwavering commitment to the sport. 

READ: Christian Horner breaks silence on Sergio Perez sacking threat

Despite the adverse conditions, the record-breaking attendance highlighted their enthusiasm for witnessing high-speed thrills and iconic moments in Formula 1.

The collective experience of witnessing Verstappen’s victory and witnessing Red Bull’s milestone achievement was elevated by the fans’ resilience. 

Their steadfast support brought the race to life and added an unparalleled atmosphere to the event.

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The last time Alonso claimed consecutive podiums was all the way back in 2013, whilst driving for Ferrari.

He’s certainly had to wait for his moment to shine once again, with his switch from Alpine to Aston Martin having so far allowed him to do so.

Despite his age, the 41-year-old has comfortably been one of the three fastest drivers this season, with Aston Martin seemingly set to go from strength to strength this year.

READ: Mercedes in need of immediate turnaround amid Aston Martin pressure

His podium at Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was staggeringly his 100th at the pinnacle of motorsport, although, for a moment it looked like he’d had it taken away from him.

Alonso was awarded a 10-second time penalty for all of four hours, after the FIA wrongly awarded a penalty to the Spanish driver.

Alonso’s co-manager Flavio Briatore believes his driver has proved all the doubters wrong already this season, with many having labelled the driver’s age as an issue.

“They even tried to take away his podium with a penalty that shouldn’t even be discussed,” Briatore told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

“At 41 he is faster than 20-year-olds but I never had any doubt. They said he was too old, that he wasn’t a team man. All nonsense.

“Just give him the car and he brings exceptional results.”

Moving to Aston Martin is a gamble that has certainly paid off, given that the side finished seventh last season, whilst Alpine finished fourth.

Briatore admits that himself and the Spaniard “took a risk” with the move but that ultimately Aston Martin possessed a “desire to change” that Alpine didn’t have.

“We shared the decision,” Briatore said. “We took a risk. But it was worth it.

“They offered us a two-year contract while others, with the excuse of age, only offered him one year. And then we knew that Lawrence Stroll was putting together a great team.

“We saw that the desire for change was there that was absent, for example, at Alpine.”

READ: Charles Leclerc reacts to Lewis Hamilton rumours

Alonso, of course, replaced four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, with the German having opted to retire at the end of last season.

Whilst Aston Martin’s car is considerably better than it was during Vettel’s stint with the team, Briatore believes Alonso has added more flair to the British outfit than they ever had during Vettel’s stay, with the 2005 and 2006 champion having “brought enthusiasm and ambition”.

“Fernando brought enthusiasm and ambition that they have never seen before,” he said. “It’s nothing like Vettel’s period there.”

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After enduring countless issues last year, Ferrari were tipped to enter this season with a bang; however, they’ve once again experienced the wrong type of explosive start.

Ferrari have already suffered multiple engine-based failures, with Charles Leclerc having taken a 10-place grid penalty at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, following his engine failure in Bahrain.

Leclerc astonishingly got through his two legal sets of control electronics at the season-opener, both of which failed.

READ: Mercedes in need of immediate turnaround amid Aston Martin pressure

It was due to his second set failing that he was forced to retire from the race and take a grid penalty into the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Given that he’s already exceeded his legal number of control electronics, the likelihood is that the Monegasque will be slapped with further grid penalties throughout the season, severely impacting his title chances.

As it stands, Ferrari are nowhere near the title fight, with the side having arguably slipped to fourth in the pecking order on race pace.

It looks all but certain that the Maranello-based team’s search for a first title since 2008 will continue beyond this season, with Briatore believing that something “very strange” is occurring at the historic side.

“It is not now that something very strange is happening at Ferrari this year,” Briatore said on Italian radio.

“How many years since they won the title? Last year the start was good, but then the FIA changed the rules and suddenly the team was no longer competitive.”

Ferrari had absolutely no response to Red Bull, Aston Martin, or Mercedes in Saudi Arabia, with Carlos Sainz and Leclerc having claimed sixth and seventh respectively.

Pace on the harder compounds appears to be a real issue for the team currently, with both Sainz and Leclerc having struggled whilst on the hard compound during the second half of the Saudi Arabian GP.

It’s not just on-track, though, where Briatore believes Ferrari have issues, with the Italian having questioned the team’s strategy off the circuit, as well as their decision last season not to show preference to Leclerc.

READ: Charles Leclerc reacts to Lewis Hamilton rumours

“If I had been part of Ferrari, I would have laid down for those rule changes. Politically, the team also has to take a closer look,” added Fernando Alonso’s co-manager.

“Moreover, the previous CEO only wanted Italians to work at Ferrari. That’s not going to work in an international sport like Formula 1. That makes no sense at all.

“Last year, in my opinion, the team should have put everything on Leclerc, because the world title is only won by one driver. He felt better in the Ferrari car, so then you have to put all your money on him.”

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Whilst he is still contracted as an Alpine driver until the end of 2022, the 41-year-old was granted permission to drive for his new side in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, where he completed 97 laps without issues.

The Spaniard didn’t take long to fire a dig back at the Enstone-based team, after he managed to complete all his Aston Martin running using a power unit with some hefty mileage on it.

His relationship with the French side truly did breakdown towards the end of the year, with the double World Champion having become frustrated with his team-mate Esteban Ocon and the side’s woeful reliability.

READ: Lewis Hamilton bids farewell as he sends warning

Alonso retired from six races in 2022 alone, resulting in the Spaniard seeming desperate for the season to end.

His move to Aston Martin will see him surrounded by people he is known to get on with, including, fellow Spanish ex-F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa, who is now an Aston Martin ambassador.

De la Rosa is confident that Aston Martin is the “best option” for Alonso for the next two years due to him seeing the Silverstone-based side’s “aspirations”.

“Fernando always bets on the best option available and at the moment, without a doubt, it is Aston Martin,” de la Rosa told AS newspaper.

“It’s not about the performance we see today but what Fernando sees and what those of us in the team see are the aspirations they have – the changes, the tools, the new wind tunnel, new simulator, new factory.

“It’s all very hopeful and that’s why Fernando is here. It is the future.

“But we don’t know how long it will take for it to bear fruit,” the Spaniard admitted.

“This is not a football team where you sign four stars and you’re half-way there.”

Former Renault team principal and Alonso’s former manager Flavio Briatore has also added his thoughts on the driver’s move to Aston Martin.

READ: ‘Fernando Alonso is not normal’

Briatore has played a pivotal part in the Spanish driver’s career and is confident that his former client will perform very well at Aston Martin, due to being a “rottweiler”.

“Fernando is a rottweiler and a rottweiler goes to Aston Martin without problems,” Briatore told DAZN.

“He will have a great season – two seasons.”

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Pérez drove flawlessly at last weekend’s race at the Marina Bay Circuit, where he overtook polesitter Charles Leclerc within the first 30 metres of the race and controlled the entirety of it from the front.

However, the Mexican was investigated by the FIA after the race, due to an investigation into whether he dropped too far beyond the Safety Car on multiple occasions.

Bizarrely, the race stewards didn’t look into the incident during the race and instead announced their decision two hours after Pérez crossed the line.

READ: Christian Horner puzzled by stewards, jumps to Sergio Perez’s defence

In that time, the podium and post-race press conference had taken place, all whilst there was the chance that the Red Bull driver could be stripped of the win.

The outcome of the steward’s decision saw Pérez awarded with a reprimand, a five-second time penalty and two penalty points onto his superlicence.

It meant that instead of winning the race by seven seconds, he only won the race by two.

Briatore was left aggrieved by the way the FIA handled the investigation, after believing that perhaps Leclerc would’ve driven more aggressively if it was announced during the race that Pérez would get a five-second time penalty.

The Italian admitted that the way it was dealt with “can’t happen”.

“If I were at Ferrari I would have broken my computer,” Briatore said.

“Everyone has their way of governance, but what I can say is that what we saw on Sunday isn’t good for the sport or the show.

“They even had the podium ceremony, but let’s say there was more than a five-second penalty, Ferrari would have won the race two hours later. That can’t happen.

“Was it easier for the FIA to make their ruling given Leclerc finished seven seconds behind Perez? Absolutely, but if they had made a decision right away then perhaps Leclerc would have driven a different race.”

Many people are starting to become increasingly frustrated with the way the FIA are handling investigations, with no consistency appearing apparent.

Briatore believes that there are more issues in races today than there were when he held a team role, with him putting it down to there being more “professionals back then”.

“They [FIA] have people who aren’t up to the job,” said Briatore.

“There’s a problem at every race, even yesterday [Sunday].

READ: George Russell is ‘world champion material’, Lewis Hamilton wants him to succeed

“If there was an infraction, why must they wait hours to make a decision when they have everything they need to do so in minutes? It’s the FIA’s fault, not F1. They absolutely must change because a race and event can be ruined, which impacts the championship.

“The FIA must be run by professionals, this is key. The president must decide, it’s important to have a federation that is up to task of governing F1.

“Why didn’t this happen before? Simple, because there were professionals back then.”

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Briatore was indefinitely banned from the pinnacle of motorsport in 2009 when the crashgate scandal from the year previous resurfaced.

Nelson Piquet Jr had been told to deliberately crash at the Singapore Grand Prix to cause a Safety Car, and that caution period would help team-mate, Fernando Alonso, to the front of the pack.

The Spaniard went on to win the race, causing a degree of suspicion from other drivers, although nothing was done about it until 2009.

READ: Fernando Alonso reacts to conspiracy he worked with Oscar Piastri to cause chaos

When it turned out that Pat Symonds and Briatore were involved in the plan, the former received a temporary ban, and it seemed that the Italian would receive a lifetime ban.

The Renault team were given a two-year suspended ban, pending any similar incidents, and they lost a number of sponsors, namely ING.

Piquet had already been dismissed by the team for his poor performances that year, with Romain Grosjean joining Alonso for the remainder of 2009 at the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

It was a disgraceful chapter in F1’s history, two years after the spygate scandal between McLaren and Ferrari, but Briatore returned this year in a commercial capacity.

Domenicali stepped down as team principal of Ferrari during their woeful 2014 campaign, and he returned to the pinnacle of motorsport at the start of last year, taking over from Chase Carey as CEO.

The 57-year-old was a major factor in Briatore’s decision to the return to the sport, in which he is now an extremely controversial figure.

“My contact with Bernie [Ecclestone] never broke off, nor has my contact with Stefano Domenicali. I am close friends with Stefano and only returned because of him,” Briatore told Sport Bild.

Briatore is a big fan of the changes that have been made to F1 since the departure of Ecclestone at the end of 2016.

“Formula 1 has changed with the Liberty Media takeover in recent years – for the better,” he added.

“The races are more exciting because of the changes in the cars, but the environment is also different. The whole entertainment for sponsors and special guests is already good, but I want to raise the level with my experience.”

The 72-year-old divulged how his return to F1 came about.

“We have 1,300 employees worldwide, Stefano asked me if I could bring my contacts and experience from my business life to the new Formula 1. I didn’t hesitate for a second,” explained Briatore.

“I can bring all this experience and worldwide contacts, no matter if it’s negotiations with new sponsors and race tracks or the special service of special guests.

READ: Revealed: How Oscar Piastri was ‘able to free himself from Alpine’s grip’

“I do this for Stefano for fun. I’ve put managers everywhere in my businesses and I don’t want to take care of everything myself anymore. I’ve done it long enough.

“I’m happy and delighted to be back in Formula 1 – it feels a bit like home.”

Renault’s current guise, Alpine, are fourth in the Constructors’ Standings heading into the final six rounds of the 2022 season.

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Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso announced that he’d be replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin next season, despite having held lengthy talks with the Enstone-based team about extending his current contract.

The announcement came as a shock to Alpine; however, they quickly announced that their reserve driver and 2021 F2 World Champion Piastri would be stepping up to replace the double World Champion next season.

Things quickly became ugly, though, as Piastri not long after the announcement was made released his own statement on social media, informing the world that he hadn’t agreed to race for Alpine and crucially won’t be doing so either.

READ: Max Verstappen explains why he can win the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix

This left the French side absolutely furious, after spending millions on preparing Piastri for a future as an Alpine F1 driver.

It turned out that Piastri had signed a deal with the McLaren F1 Team without Alpine knowing, with the young Australian having agreed to replace Daniel Ricciardo at the Woking-based team.

Alpine are convinced that Piastri is contractually bound to race for them next season, with the situation set to be heard at the FIA’s contract recognition board following the Belgian Grand Prix.

With Alpine effectively losing two drivers across only a matter of hours, people quickly began to question if Alonso had planned the timing of both events.

He was reportedly unhappy about the offer presented to him by Alpine, who were aiming to eventually put the Spaniard into their sportscar programme.

This theory grew even larger when the 41-year-old posted a video on Instagram of him seemingly happy and enjoying his day; however, it was posted moments after Piastri made his statement.

People have questioned if Alonso’s manager Flavio Briatore had planned the saga, with Alonso’s manager being obviously close to him and to Piastri’s manager, who just so happens to be ex-F1 driver Mark Webber.

Alonso has since been asked if either himself or Briatore planned the drama, something he revealed he not only had nothing to do with but actually found “sad”.

“Not at all,” revealed the Spaniard.

“Honestly, it was quite sad and annoying to read that conspiracy because I made this decision and explained why.”

It does appear at least that Alonso’s decision to leave Alpine triggered some of what has taken place; however, the Spaniard believed that none of it would have happened had Vettel not decided to retire.

READ: Christian Horner makes cheeky comment about his wife when asked about reg changes

“If Sebastian (Vettel) continued, probably this would not have happened,” Alonso said.

“And what happened after with Oscar is completely not my thing.

“I’ve always been doing my things and while Flavio comes to some races it is with other things that he has with Stefano (Domenicali) and Formula 1 and the Paddock Club and things. Not related to me.”

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Briatore is currently the manager of Fernando Alonso, who is set to leave Alpine and join Aston Martin next season when Sebastian Vettel retired.

The German was quickly replaced by the Silverstone-based team, and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer – who used to head the Aston Martin team – believes that an agreement was already in place between Alonso and Lawrence Stroll.

READ: This is how much McLaren will need to pay Daniel Ricciardo to buy out his contract

The 41-year-old had been waiting for a new deal to materialise with the French side, and he was keen to sign a long-term extension, but due to his age, Alpine could only offer him a one plus one.

Perhaps more cynically, it was also in a bid to make sure that there was a seat available to Piastri in the coming seasons, so they did not want to deny their reserve driver that chance by signing Alonso onto a longer contract.

The Enstone side had also been trying to secure a loan deal for Piastri at Williams next year, but there were two issues with the plan.

The first was that the 21-year-old does not want to be racing towards the back of the grid next year, and the deal was being held off while Alpine waited to see if Alonso would indeed re-sign.

There was little fault on the part of Alpine on that front, as they did not want to lose Piastri in case he was needed, but the reigning Formula 2 champion has made other plans.

He is thought to have made a deal with McLaren to replace Daniel Ricciardo next year, but Alpine are convinced that he has an agreement to join them should they activate a clause in his contract.

However, Danner reckons that Briatore, using his many years of experience, looked over the deal and found a get-out for the young driver.

“The whole scenario clearly has Briatore’s handwriting,” he told motorsport-magazin.com.

“It’s classic Flavio, there’s certainly a contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over – very much in the mind of the manager, Mark Webber. 

“There was definitely a clause.”

The German affirmed that Briatore has the mind for negotiating his way round contracts, and that might have helped Piastri fly the Alpine nest.

READ: Alpine boss lashes out at Oscar Piastri: ‘It’s about integrity as a human being’

“When he believes in someone, he has the foresight to plan in a positive sense – and not just ruthlessly, which is logically the case in this business,” added Danner.

“I could imagine Piastri being able to free himself from Alpine’s grip, so that he can hopefully drive for McLaren for the next two years and then be free for a big deal. 

“That definitely has Briatore’s signature.”

There is still a chance that Ricciardo, who has a contract at McLaren until the end of next year, will stay, but if Piastri has found his way into the team, then Briatore deserves the credit in Danner’s eyes.

“Of course it can all go wrong, but if it works out then he [Briatore] has done everything right,” he stated.

Ricciardo recently issued a statement confirming that both he and McLaren intend to see out the rest of his deal.

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The Finnish driver surprised the paddock in 2007, when he performed strongly for the Renault F1 Team in his debut season, alongside Giancarlo Fisichella.

The Finn scored his first F1 podium during his rookie campaign, after finishing second-place at the Japanese Grand Prix.

At the end of his rookie season, Kovalainen had offers from both Toyota and McLaren, with the latter due to Fernando Alonso leaving the side to go back to Renault.

READ: Daniel Ricciardo addresses threat of being replaced by IndyCar driver

The Finn opted to go to McLaren for 2008, where he drove alongside Sir Lewis Hamilton, who won the championship that season.

The 40-year-old claimed his first F1 win during 2008, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which would turn out to be the only win of his F1 career.

Kovalainen remained with the British side in 2009; however, fired manager Flavio Briatore late in the season.

The Finnish driver fired his manager, after the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix ‘crashgate’ report was made public.

Briatore was the managing director of Renault the year Nelson Piquet Jr crashed purposely in Singapore, so that team-mate Alonso could win the race.

As well as being sacked by Kovalainen, Briatore was banned by F1, meaning he couldn’t enter the paddock.

However, the ban was lifted relatively soon after in 2010, after Kovalainen had signed a deal with the Caterham F1 Team (known as Lotus Racing in 2010).

The new team struggled throughout their few years in the sport, with Kovalainen regularly featuring at the back of the grid.

The Finnish driver left the sport at the end of 2012, when he was dropped by the team

He went on to drive for Lotus for two rounds towards the end of 2013, due to Finnish compatriot Kimi Raikkonen requiring surgery.

Ultimately, his move to Caterham was the downfall of his F1 career, with the Finn admitting it was “the biggest mistake” he’d ever made.

“It was the biggest mistake of my career,” Kovalainen told Viaplay.

“It would definitely have been worth staying on the same side of the table with Flavio rather than going to the other side of the table,” he smiled.

“When my McLaren contract was ending and I had to quickly get a new contract, while the drivers managed by Flavio did not have a super license at that point,” said Kovalainen.

Kovalainen’s career may have gone so differently had he waited a mere few months, with Briatore’s ban being lifted not long after it was initially awarded.

“If I had just waited until January of the following year, Flavio would have had his punishment reversed and he could have returned,” the Finn admitted.

“Yes, Flavio could have made better deals for me, and he had made the best deals of my career before that episode.”

With his F1 career firmly in the past, Kovalainen has turned to rallying, and currently competes in the All Japan Rally Championship.

READ: Mercedes likely to make radical design changes as they could copy Red Bull’s aero package

The Grand Prix winner is adamant that rallying is what he’s “focused” on, after revealing his interest in the World Rally Championship.

“I’m 100 percent focused on rallying now,” he confirmed.

“I enjoy watching WRC – I stay up all night and day watching nowadays.”

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