Former F1 driver Marc Surer has explained why he feels Ferrari made the ‘wrong decision’ in replacing Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton from 2025.

Hamilton will bring his 10-year partnership with Mercedes to an end in just a few weeks when he gets ready to become a Ferrari driver.

The move was announced before the 2024 season got underway in a shock deal.

The seven-time world champion will be 40 years old by the time he takes to the track next season with Ferrari and signed a two-year deal.

Despite being in the latter stages of his career, Hamilton has still managed to keep ahead of his younger team-mate George Russell at Mercedes in the Drivers’ Championship.

But Surer, who made 82 race starts in his F1 career, feels Ferrari have made a mistake due to Hamilton’s age.

He told Formel1.de: “If Hamilton comes, it will certainly be a very positive story at first.

“But in the long term, it is the wrong decision because Lewis Hamilton is getting old.

“You don’t get faster with age. You become more experienced, you may be able to do more tricks in the race.

“But the pure speed is lost, even if that’s only hundredths of a second per year.

“That’s why I’m convinced that Hamilton is no longer as fast as he used to be.”

Hamilton has cut a forlorn figure in recent weeks with Mercedes falling back from the top three teams.

The 39-year-old is on a six-race streak without a podium finish dating back to his win at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Surer feels part of Hamilton’s drop in performance is due to a lack of motivation with Mercedes locked in fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

And he believes that initial transition to Ferrari will give Hamilton a new lease of life.

“It does make a difference when you are highly motivated,” he said. “And I would say at the moment he is not.

“But when he sits in the Ferrari, he will be. He wants to prove to himself and the world that it was the right decision to drive for Ferrari.”