Lewis Hamilton: Will Ferrari gamble pay off for seven-time world ...

The move, therefore, is a massive coup for Ferrari and a huge vote of confidence in their new team principal Frederic Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto at the start of last year charged with turning the team around.

Vasseur was brought in for his long experience as a racing manager, first in the junior categories, and since 2016 in F1, with Renault, then Sauber and now Ferrari.

Vasseur is a no-nonsense, straight-talking guy who gets motorsport - a racer, as they say in F1.

Hamilton is well aware of the Frenchman's qualities. They worked together in GP2, what is now called Formula 2, when Hamilton won the title in 2006, before his graduation to F1 with McLaren the following year.

They have remained in contact ever since. Vasseur has a similar relationship with Leclerc, who won the GP3 title with Vasseur's team in 2016, made his F1 debut under him at Sauber in 2018 and of course now forms a strong partnership at Ferrari.

Vasseur also happens to be a genuinely close friend of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, from whom Ferrari have now stolen a driver. F1 can be an incestuous world, but that does not stop this all being a bit awkward for everyone involved.

Ferrari and Mercedes spent last year engaging in a close battle for second behind dominant Red Bull in the constructors' championship. In the end, Mercedes just pipped their rivals, but there is no doubt it was the Italian team who made the best strides through the year.

Starting the year with an uncompetitive car with vicious handling, they first calmed it down, and then improved its pace, to the extent Leclerc took pole position in three of the last five races of the year.

Ferrari were also the only team other than Red Bull to win a race in 2023, when Sainz triumphed in Singapore from pole. Leclerc would have joined him at the penultimate race of the season in Las Vegas had it not been for an unfortunately timed safety car.