In an exclusive interview, the former F1 driver and discusses Ferrari and McLaren's start to the season and hopes Hamilton can win a record eighth title.
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The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is next on the schedule, could Ferrari win it on their home turf?
We hope so. It’s not easy. The gap between all of the top teams, it’s quite close. It’s closer than normal, elsewhere It’s bigger. I hope with some updates in this weekend they can have a good pace, and they can fight for the podium. Why not for the victory?
What have you made of Lewis Hamilton so far at Ferrari?
First of all, it is not easy moving to a new team after so many years at Mercedes. Learning the behaviour of the car, getting confident with the car, and also the different way of how to work with the team. You need time, but he already has a pole position at a Sprint race, he won a Sprint race and got another podium, so I think there’s a bit of up and down, but Lewis is one of the best drivers in the world and I think soon he will be very, very consistent and he can fight for the victory.
With the new regulations in place for 2026, can Lewis win an eighth world title?
I wish so. These two names together will be great, to be back to win the championship for Ferrari and eight times for Lewis, who is currently the only driver in the world who can win eight titles. I hope so, and we will see if it is possible or not.
How impressed have you been with Charles this season?
Charles is doing well. Again, it’s not easy when the car is not great and most of the time he is quicker than Lewis. Sometimes Charles is so quick, especially in the qualifying session. Last year he has been able to win a few races, and I don’t think there’s any reason why he cannot win again this year. Both drivers are two great drivers, and they can work together. They can learn each other side by side, together. I think they are one of the most important and one of the strongest duos in Formula One.
What do you think of Oliver Bearman as a driver, and could he become a future Ferrari driver?
He is doing very good. The car is not a good car. It’s not the best car in the in the field, but sometimes it’s able to score points. Also, when he starts from the back of the grid, he is able to do a lot of overtaking to deliver a great race. We like our drivers with a lot of experience, and he is just young, he has just few races on his shoulder, so I think he’s got a good talent and soon he can also win races. Not now, but one day with a good car.
Do McLaren need to pick their No. 1 driver, and what have you made of their performances this season?
At the moment, the car is better than other cars, so they can make any choice. They can let the drivers do whatever they like. Obviously they need to score the best result, but at the moment I wouldn’t put any team order. I wouldn’t put any No. 1 driver, so both drivers are doing very well and I’m quite impressed about the job Oscar Piastri is doing because he’s so cold. He never makes mistakes, he’s quick in the qualifying session and in the race. I think it’s going to be difficult for Lando to beat him, but I think Lando has maybe more talent. I think at the moment Oscar Piastri could be the world champion.
Max is a great driver as well, but his car is maybe not a good car like McLaren this season. Sometimes he’s able to score a pole, but then in the race McLaren is much stronger, so if they find the good way to find development during the season, maybe he can fight for the championship. But at the moment I don’t think so.
Could we see Max Verstappen leave Red Bull?
Everything is possible. I think he wants to race, win, and if the car is not as good, especially now without Adrian Newey, the future in Red Bull could be a little bit difficult. He could find a new team.
Could he reunite at Aston Martin with Adrian Newey?
Aston Martin is a great team and is growing up. They obviously have a budget cap but I think they have the resource to find the best people in the team, like Adrian Newey, and again also choose the best driver, whether it is Max Verstappen or other drivers. It could be an option for Max.
Could we see Christian Horner exit Red Bull?
There is this rumour, yes, but I don’t know. Christian Horner is the face of Red Bull so I don’t see any reason to switch the team principal until Red Bull is not happy with Christian Horner. I don’t think they will swap, or he will leave to another team. I see no reason why.
How do you assess Max’s performances this year in a car not as good as McLaren’s, and where could he rank in terms of the greatest F1 drivers?
I think he is one the best drivers, and maybe the best driver now. He is so quick in a qualifying session but also in the race, he tries to do the maximum to defend his position and does a lot of overtaking. He still has a long career in front of him, but I think he can be like Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton and win many championships.
Is Michael Schumacher the greatest ever and are there any memories of him that stand out from your time in F1?
Michael Schumacher was an incredible driver. I raced with him, obviously not in the same team, but many years we shared the championship together. I got a lot of great memories with him.
The first one in the mind is when he gave me the pickup on his car in 1997 in Okinawa when I was leading the race and I had a puncture, and after that I retired on the track. Then when he saw me, he stopped me and gave me the pickup of his car. But then we have also a lot of great, great memories off the track. We were usually playing together for charity in football games with the drivers’ national team. He was so good at football and loved his sport. We also had a lot of great dinners together, sang karaoke together, and he was a great guy. As it stands, he is the greatest driver of all time.
There are more rookies than ever before, who stands out from the new set of drivers?
There are a lot of good new rookie drivers like Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar. I would say considering his talent, considering his age and where he is considering the team, Antonelli. He’s got a good chance to grow up quickly, and already in the first part of the season he has had some fantastic races in the qualifying session and got a lot of points. In the last race, he scored a pole position in the Sprint race – that was amazing. He can do well in the future.
How big of a weekend is it for Antonelli and what advice do you have for him?
For an Italian driver, racing in the home Grand Prix, it’s great. It’s extra power, but there is also extra pressure, so you need to be careful with the pressure. It needs to be concentrated. There will be a lot of people around him, especially maybe in the circuit, and a lot of friends. You need to be concentrated on the track, forget friends, forget anybody and just concentrate on the track.
How do you assess George Russell’s performance amid rumours that Max Verstappen could replace him?
The first part of the season, considering the car is not the best, he’s doing very well. I think he’s one of the best drivers at the moment in the field. He’s so confident, apart from the last race in a qualifying session where Kimi was quicker, but for the first part of the season, everywhere he was, he was gaining the maximum result for his team, considering his car, so I think he is in good shape.
At the moment he’s doing very well. The Mercedes is not the best car and is a bit up and down, but he scores a lot of points at the moment and he’s so close to the McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari. Sometimes the car is quicker, sometimes slower, but it’s there.
What have you made of Sauber’s struggle for pace before they change to Audi next year?
It’s not easy because you need to be focused on the 2025 season. You need to find the best development race after race, but also you need to be concentrated on 2026 with the new rules, so it’s not easy and it’s quite tough. I hope they can find it. The sooner the better they can have the best setup, the best development in term of aerodynamics, parts and mechanical parts. I think the engine is very strong, maybe one of the strongest compared to Mercedes and the other manufacturing engines. But the guys still need a bit of improvement.
You drove next to the likes of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. Who was the most talented driver?
Well, probably in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso. We had a fantastic car and were able to win the Drivers’ Championship but also the Constructors’ Championship and I can say he’s probably the best teammate I had in my life. He was so strong in the qualifying sessions, but also in the races. We worked very well together. We are still friends, and I can say Fernando has been my best teammate.
What made Fernando so good? Was it down to his professionalism and preparation?
He was very professional and very focused and was just thinking about Formula One. If I’m not wrong, he is 43 or 44 years old and it’s I think he’s still one of the best drivers in the world, especially a couple of years ago when the Aston Martin car was quite competitive and he was able to score points. Unfortunately, now his car is not as good and it’s not easy to score points. But he’s able to if he has a good car, and I’m sure he can win races.
Could he have won more world titles?
Yeah, I think so. He was so close to winning again with Ferrari a couple of times. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but for sure he’s one of the best drivers in the world.
What about Jenson Button?
I raced with him in 2001, and it was a really tough season, and we were struggling. Both drivers – myself and him – were struggling, but usually I was quicker than him. I scored also a podium in Spa. Maybe his style of driving was not good for that car for the season, but Jenson has been a world champion and when he has a good car. He’s confident and is another great driver.
How was Kimi as a teammate?
Yeah, I raced just five times with him, and he’s got a huge talent. His character is a little bit strange, a little bit different than the other drivers but he is a fantastic talent.
What have you made of Liam Lawton’s difficult start to the season?
Lawton was really struggling with Red Bull since the testing and in the first few races, it was impossible for him to get in the top 15 in qualifying session and Max was first or second row, so it’s the mentality. The mentality in Red Bull is different than the other teams. They give you one, maximum two chances, and then they can change the drivers, but they have the options to make changes. Yuki has been much better and closer to his teammate and is able to score points. I also think there is less pressure on him. All of the drivers next to Max over the last few years have struggled, so it is not easy.
What are your thoughts on Carlos Sainz’s start at Williams?
Carlos has a lot of experience now and is going up and down, sometimes he is quicker than his teammate and sometimes he is not. But in qualifying, he is impressive and is always in top 10 or top 15, which is impressive. It is quite close with his teammate, but we need to consider he is with a new team, and it is not easy to understand the work of a new team and get confident with a new car. I think if Williams can give him a good car, he can score good results.
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