Why Hamilton's move to Ferrari 'makes sense': 'A winning combination'

At the start of February, the news broke that Hamilton would leave Mercedes and make the move to Maranello. Like many, Priestley admitted he was surprised, "I think I was the same as everybody else and was immediately shocked when I first saw it. I thought 'no that's not true'." This week, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur unveiled further details relating to Hamilton's contract when speaking to the Financial Times, alluding that the Brit has signed a three-year deal with the team. For Priestley, this decision does ultimately make sense, "I think the more you reflect on that decision that he's made the more and more it seems to make sense. I think he feels like he needs a new challenge."

During his time at McLaren, Priestley worked alongside Hamilton, with one of his most memorable moments being the 2008 championship win. "The way that race and that season ended, we kind of won that championship on the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the season, was a very special emotional roller coaster and we were lucky enough to come out on top so that will always stick in my mind as being a massive moment," he explained.

Hamilton then later made the move to Mercedes in 2013, where he won a further six championships. He has also broken a series of records with the Silver Arrows, with the most recent being at last weekend's British Grand Prix as he won for the ninth time. 

Why is Hamilton moving to Ferrari? 

Hamilton made a significant move before, and it paid off. The British driver is now the most successful in Formula One history. With that, Priestley is confident the seven-time world champion is making the right decision. "He's been at Mercedes for a long time, had huge success, plus gone through a period of not having success with them which I don't think is the reason. I think he knows he's at the end of his career and this is probably one last big move. There's also a romantic element to the Ferrari story as everybody knows in Formula One," he explained. 

This season, Ferrari sit second in the Constructors, behind Red Bull. Although they have faced some challenges recently, Priestley believes that with Hamilton joining the team, things can only improve. "Ferrari are at this point in their time where they're coming back towards the top. So, I think it's a good thing that they're doing that," Priestley said. "He may well be joining Ferrari at exactly the right time to sort of capitalize on their success and bring his expertise. Maybe it'll be a winning combination," he concluded.