Ferrari flunked it. They should have signed Max Verstappen instead of Lewis Hamilton, writes JONATHAN McEVOY

There was a lot of fuss at the time about Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari next season. But I wonder whether the Scuderia, and their disappointingly ordinary team boss Fred Vasseur, will regret the haste in signing the seven-time world champion.

For Lewis, this move is undoubtedly the right one. He needs a new life away from the lackluster Mercedes, even if his impending departure means losing his right to a lifelong ambassadorial role with the Silver Arrows.

It also makes commercial sense for Ferrari and the driver. Hamilton is the biggest world name in motorsport, just like Michael Schumacher, their last super champion, was in his salad days, and the cash registers should be ringing loudly.

But it’s a mistake for Ferrari, Vasseur’s latest (a notable other example is jettisoning Carlos Sainz in place of the error-prone Charles Leclerc). If he had been smarter, he would not have signed Lewis, who will be forty years old by the time he turns the wheel of Ferrari in anger. Instead he would have called in Max Verstappen, now 26 and at the height of his powers.

It would be the Ferrari way of old. Luca di Montezemolo, team boss and president of the legend, pushed Schumacher through the exit door at the age of 37. He saw rejuvenation as a requirement, just as Sir Alex Ferguson did in a parallel world.

Not available? Well, Verstappen could be after the recent unrest at Red Bull. He was even convincingly linked to Mercedes, with his father Jos certainly considering the option.

Perhaps I am being unfair to Vasseur, who cannot contradict his chairman, John Elkann.

But whoever called dropped it.

Full marks for McLaren’s Stella boss

Star of the season? Verstappen is a contender, but we have to give someone else a chance. My nomination is Andrea Stella, team principal of McLaren.

Just talking to him, you sense the methodical thought process of a top engineer. He’s also a decent man.

He has revolutionized the team to the extent that last year’s shambles has been transformed into a race winner, even against the might of Red Bull.

Standing at the bulkhead during a flight last year, he explained in plain English – the second language to Italian – how the secret to speed under current regulations was all about the floor and the vortices generated there.

Informed by this, he has overseen a miracle that the eyes cannot see.

Equal credit goes to his boss Zak Brown, who was smart enough to see Stella as the man for the job.

Isn’t it time we let Senna rest in peace?

Isn’t it time we let Ayrton Senna rest in peace?

He died thirty years ago, on May 1, and those who wish to commemorate him have every right to do so. At Mail Sport we have indeed done that.

And ahead of last week’s race at Imola, Sebastian Vettel organized a meeting of the drivers on the grid and drove a Senna car he owns. All somewhat strange, considering the German was seven when the Brazilian died at the age of 34.

Now McLaren, whose most successful driver was Senna, has decked out its Monaco car in yellow and green, the colors of its national flag, a month later. And quotes from him are etched on the stairs that connect the paddock to the garages.

Sure, Senna was one of the handful of best drivers ever, but this endless deification of him is never in danger of stopping.

In any case, thirty years is not a milestone. It was twenty-five. Can we please wait until the 50th anniversary before we go again?

Goodbye Stars’N’Bars

Stars’N’Bars was a landmark in the harbor, and I must admit to receiving the occasional expense report there over the years. Right next to the press center, it closed last year after thirty years of serving burgers and beer.

A new, more upscale establishment has opened in the same building.

Conscientiae, it’s called. ‘Tres dure’, as it was described to me. Actually not that bad, and without the old sticky floor.

Have you been to Mona Coe?

I heard it here last year when I spoke to Seb Coe. A colleague asked him if he had been to Monaco before. The two-time Olympic gold medalist pointed his finger at the World Athletics headquarters, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, and said: “That’s my office.”

Mercedes opts for youth when Hamilton leaves

Rumor has it that Mercedes will likely follow the youth in replacing Lewis Hamilton. That means 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli enters. Red Bull will likely stick with Verstappen and Sergio Perez, the least difficult understudy in the business.

Eddie recovers quickly

Medical bulletin. Eddie Jordan, who has emerged as Adrian Newey’s unlikely manager, is recovering well after recent prostate surgery. He’s good enough to be there this weekend.

The Horner scandal is nearing its end

Christian Horner feels strong enough to break bread with British journalists on Friday.

Doing so, aboard Red Bull’s floating ‘Energy Station’ hospitality building, indicates that he believes he is on the other side of the scandal that rocked him and the team earlier this year.

Acquitted of wrongdoing, an appeal process continues. In any case, we are heading towards the end of the beginning.

Tradition thrown out the window in Monaco

The old rhythm of weekends in Monaco has been exchanged on the altar of conformity. Every other race was and is going as follows (give or take the new sprint format): Thursday, media day; Friday, practice; Saturday, qualifying; Sunday, match.

Monaco was but is no longer: Wednesday, media day; Thursday, practice; Friday, free; Saturday, qualifying: Sunday, race.

That won’t matter much to TV viewers, I know, but the more relaxed format, which evokes languid walks along the Mediterranean and long lunches on yachts, was a delight for the people on the ground.

Liberty Media, which bought the sport in 2017, squeezed it all back, burning the tradition. But when you have 24 races to cram in, every day counts.