Even though Hamilton had a deal set for next season, he made the bold decision to break his contract with Mercedes as his aim was to secure a move to Ferrari for 2025.

This move sent shockwaves through the F1 world and especially within Mercedes, where Hamilton has been a dominant figure for many years, securing 6 out of his 7 world champion titles with the team.

However, Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, wasn’t entirely surprised by the move, according to his own words. Having previously worked with Hamilton in GP2 and the F3 Euro Series, Vasseur knew the seven-time world champion had long dreamed of racing for Ferrari.

“Yes, it was not that difficult to convince Lewis,” Vasseur said at the Festival dello Sport event organised by Gazzetta dello Sport in Trento.

“I remember that in 2004 we were together (in the European F3 championship) he at the time was tied to McLaren-Mercedes, but he already had in mind that sooner or later he would go to Ferrari.

"We talked about it some time ago, he always had this desire in mind, but of course, he is a driver who wants to have guarantees in terms of performance, for him this aspect is always in the first place.”

He also believes that Hamilton’s choice to join Ferrari proves the team is moving in the right direction.

"If he chose to join Ferrari, it confirms to me that we can have the right car,” Vasseur added.

“This is the ultimate goal, a driver like Lewis does not come to us on vacation and from my side, I think we are in the right place in terms of performance.

"We need a step forward and I can say that we are devoting a lot of resources to our next project."

With two weeks to go before the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Ferrari is currently third in the Constructor's Championship and only 34 points behind Red Bull, a gap smaller than what the Austrian team needs to close in order to catch McLaren in the lead.