Irvine: Hamilton too old for Ferrari – Max would be ‘sensational’

Last weekend at Monza, in the heart of Formula 1's most passionate heartland, former Ferrari star Eddie Irvine weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s rocky start in red – and set out his dream scenario of one day seeing Max Verstappen take on the challenge of Maranello.

Hamilton marked his home Grand Prix debut for Ferrari with a gritty recovery drive. Starting from 10th after a five-place grid penalty, the seven-time world champion sliced through the field to claim sixth place – a solid salvage but a far cry from the podium glory that once defined his career.

For the seven-time world champion, it's been a season of frustration: zero podiums in his first 16 races with the team, and consistent shadows cast by teammate Charles Leclerc's sharper results.

A Brutal Take on Hamilton's Late Gamble

For Irvine, who thrilled the Scuderia’s faithful in the late 1990s, the root of Hamilton’s struggles is clear.

“Problem with Lewis, he came a bit too old. But he won seven World Championships, so there’s always a price,” he told Sky Sports F1.

The Ulsterman also underlined Ferrari’s unique challenges compared to Britain-based teams.

“It’s very difficult, Ferrari, because they’re on their own in Italy. The British teams are all surrounded by other teams, and there’s cross pollination.

“It’s so much different, more difficult to be on your own down in Maranello. That’s it. It’s always more difficult for Ferrari.

“They have the image, they have the history, they have everything except they don’t have that cross pollination, and that’s really tough.”

Comparisons With the Past

Irvine compared Ferrari’s current predicament with the transformation that occurred in the late 1990s, when Michael Schumacher’s arrival triggered an influx of top talent.

“Back in my day, you had Michael come, he was seen as by far the fastest driver. Because of that, Rory Byrne came, Ross [Brawn] came, and that whole team was built around the fact that Michael was another world,” Irvine recounted.

“A bit like Verstappen is now, where if Verstappen went somewhere, he could take a lot of people. Without the whole system together, everyone’s, you know, at the same level. It’s tough, Formula 1’s tough.”

He reminded everyone of Schumacher's sacrifices: trading potential titles at Benetton for a Ferrari project mired in dysfunction at the time.

“Michael gave up a lot, like Michael probably gave up two, three, maybe even more world championships to leave Benetton to go [to Ferrari],” he added. “Because the first few years, people have no idea how bad it was at Ferrari.

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“Michael, he knew there was no point for him. He was so much better than everyone else. He just decided, ‘I’m going to go there. I’m going to see what I can do,’ which was amazing.

“And he got there. But people forget, it took four years. He was always in the vicinity, but it was just, you could see he was driving the wheels off the thing to try and be there. So it was very easy for it not to happen.”

“I would love Verstappen to come to Ferrari”

While Hamilton’s move has yet to bear fruit, Irvine sees Verstappen as the driver who could spark a similar revolution to Schumacher’s.

“I would love Verstappen to come to Ferrari,” he said. “I think the two of them together would be sensational. I hope he doesn’t leave it too late like Lewis did.”

The Dutchman has committed his immediate future to Red Bull, but even he has admitted that long-term, nothing is certain.

For Irvine, though, the prospect of Ferrari and Verstappen uniting remains one of Formula 1’s most tantalising “what ifs.”

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