Yet he still finished a mammoth 214 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings as his time at Mercedes – where he won six titles – came to a disappointing end.
But Verstappen, aiming to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of five successive drivers’ championships, said a move to Ferrari, ever-present throughout Formula 1’s 75-year history, could inspire Hamilton.
“It will provide him with a different scenery, a new motivation,” said Verstappen. “And when you have been with a team for a long time, have won a lot and then had a few tough seasons, maybe your motivation is different. Now it is almost like he is reborn.
“We all know how good Lewis is and we all know how good [Hamilton’s teammate] Charles [Leclerc] is. Ferrari have two great drivers. It is going to be exciting for the sport, but it [Hamilton’s success] will also depend on how good the car is.”
Hamilton, bidding for a record eighth drivers’ title, joins a Ferrari team narrowly pipped to the constructors’ championship by McLaren last year.
“I am definitely anticipating Lewis being a championship contender,” said McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. “We and Ferrari ended last year with nothing between us, and I think that will continue.”
Hamilton will have his first serious drive of his new car during next week’s lone winter testing session in Bahrain, with Ferrari aiming for their first championship in nearly two decades.
“If Lewis gets off to a good start and he gets the team around him, he will find his confidence and he could be a real contender for this world championship,” said Christian Horner, principal of Verstappen’s Red Bull team.
Horner added: “But if he doesn’t get off to a good start, it will inevitably be harder for him.”
Verstappen, Brown and Horner were speaking at an event where all 10 teams had gathered to launch their new cars at the same venue, the first time this has happened in Formula 1 history.
“It’s difficult to get most teams to agree what day of the week it is,” said Horner. “So, to get all 10 teams here launching their cars tonight, it’s been a big effort.”
“It’s a show very much for the fans,” he added, with the launch presented by British comedian Jack Whitehall and also featuring US rapper Machine Gun Kelly.
