‘Well played’: Ferrari’s hidden Hamilton ‘Easter egg’ we all missed

Eagle eyed F1 fans have spotted a hidden “Easter egg” clue days before Lewis Hamilton’s shock team switch that gave the move away.

Formula One fans are slowly coming to terms with one of the biggest driver moves in the history of the sport following Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch from Mercedes to Ferrari.

Both teams on Friday confirmed the bombshell news, which will see Hamilton join Ferrari from 2025 on a multi-year deal despite agreeing to a two-year deal with Mercedes last season.

The 39-year-old will partner up with Charles Leclerc in one of the most exciting driver pairings in recent memory.

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Carlos Sainz, the only non Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023, said in a statement he would part ways with Ferrari at the end of this season.

Hamilton’s move means Sainz is without a seat for 2025, but the Spaniard said “news about my future will be announced in due course” and it’s likely he’ll land on his feet at another team.

Wild Ferrari ‘Easter egg’ we all missed

The F1 world is reeling from Hamilton’s shock team switch, but eagle-eyed fans have spotted a hidden ‘easter egg’ from earlier this week that flagged the move.

On Tuesday, Ferrari released an ad campaign for its new partnership with Italian brewer Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s zero alcohol beer.

Lewis Hamilton has walked out on Mercedes. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

The ad starred Leclerc, Sainz and team principal Fred Vasseur but the supporting advertisement images revealed a clue hinting at Hamilton’s move.

In a photo featuring the beer and various Ferrari merchandise is a small, old school Ferrari car with the number 44 emblazoned on it.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and F1 fanatics have realised #44 is the number Hamilton races with on his car and helmet. Coincidence? We don’t think so.

You’re all such good detectives, I totally missed this Easter egg when Ferrari announced its Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% partnership two days ago (although the other image was of Leclerc and Sainz starring in the campaign, and Trintignant did win in No.44 at Monaco in 1955) #F1pic.twitter.com/R5E9CecP1o

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) February 1, 2024

Well played, Peroni and Ferrari. Well played.

None of us noticed that #44 until today 😂 pic.twitter.com/8BIQYMtlV0

— Jeppe H. Olesen (@jeppe_olesen) February 1, 2024

F1 journalist Chris Medland pointed out Ferrari driver Maurice Trintignant won the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix in #44 but the driver who was on pole position for that race was none other than Juan Manuel Fangio — one of Mercedes’ most successful drivers ever.

Fangio, who won five world championships with four different teams, claimed a title with Ferrari after leaving Mercedes. It’s safe to say the parallels to Hamilton are clear and we missed the easter egg.

One person replied to Medland: “Trintignant’s Monaco win in No44 is such a vague, forgettable and really quite insignificant piece of history with such a successful team, I don’t think it’s an accident they chose that car to be on the poster.”

Carlos Sainz filmed an ad for Ferrari then got sacked. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Can Hamilton break Schumacher’s record?

Lewis Hamilton was controversially denied a recordbreaking eighth world title in 2021 when Max Verstappen overtook him on the last lap of the last race of the season amid a safety car drama.

Verstappen has gone on to win three consecutive titles and Hamilton hasn’t won a race since 2021.

Can the veteran Brit rediscover his best form to win an eighth title, breaking the record held by himself and Michael Schumacher?

If he does, he will become the only driver to win championships with three different teams after his maiden triumph with McLaren and six titles with Mercedes.

Former driver and commentator Johnny Herbert believes an eighth title would make Hamilton F1’s GOAT.

“An eighth title at Ferrari would cement him at the very top,” Herbert said, per KingCasinoBonus.

“If you got back to Fangio it was a very different world. There was just the driving. Media interest didn’t really exist. Nowadays the pressures are much higher. The workload is not just what happens in the car, but also outside of the cockpit.

“Because of that, if Lewis can go further than Michael, that would cement him as the greatest of the sport because he has been able to achieve it in a much more competitive and pressurised world.

“On top of that there will be the pressures of Italy, being with Ferrari. It is a very big deal. It is the highest pressure job in F1 because the expectations and pressures are always so high.

“An eighth title is a real possibility. If he can get the eighth there’s a damn good chance of a ninth and a tenth because if they get it right because that momentum will be something Ferrari would be able to carry on in future seasons.

“That then lifts him to that next level above what Michael achieved with the seven. Getting Lewis is the ultimate coup for Ferrari.”

Hamilton will partner up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. (Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP)

Ferrari have showed glimpses of strong form in recent years but strategy issues, pit stop blunders and driver errors have cruelled any chance of challenging Red Bull in the championship.

“We have seen signs in the last couple of years to be good enough to take it to Red Bull. But it has been the consistency that has been lacking,” Herbert said.

“Having Lewis on board changes people’s mentality and they are very aware they have got to be on top of everything, because people are at the top of the tree in terms of the process and knitting together at Red Bull.

“Red Bull are very good in their strategy calls and that is something Ferrari have got to do to enable them to achieve their goals of winning races, and with that another world championship and secondly giving the drivers a chance.

“Having Lewis on board will galvanise the team. It will be a massive motivation for everyone there to have someone like Lewis who has been as successful as he has.

“The other thing that is really positive is for F1 itself. It is the perfect driver setup that is exciting for everyone.”

The Hamilton-Mercedes era is over. (Photo by Lars Baron / POOL / AFP)

Lewis Hamilton’s first words after ditching Mercedes

“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together,” Hamilton said.

“Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.

“But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together.

“I am 100 per cent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”