Jean Todt is uncertain if merely bringing Lewis Hamilton on board will be sufficient to catapult Ferrari back to the pinnacle of world championship success.
Reflecting on his days as the renowned team's leader, when he signed the then two-time champion Michael Schumacher in 1996, Todt recalls it took a full five years for Schumacher to clinch a third title with the team.
"Hamilton's arrival will give the fans a Ferrari at nine (out of 10)," the Frenchman shared with Bild, as reported by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"My Ferrari in the now-distant 1993 was a five," the 78-year-old former FIA president Todt noted.
"Everyone is now wondering if it (Hamilton's arrival) will be enough to aim for the world title. Will it be enough to reach the objective?" he questioned. "To win the championship, you have to be perfect.
"The Ferrari of the recent period has sometimes found itself fighting for the world championship, but without ever succeeding in the enterprise. The last step, the decisive one, was missing."
Todt believes that Ferrari's strategy must extend beyond merely securing Hamilton, the 39-year-old seven-time world champion, to truly make a championship run.
"Currently, other teams have more opportunities, like Red Bull," he remarked. "Ferrari will have to work to follow their example."
"There will always be two excellent drivers in Maranello," Todt continued. "After all, it is everyone's dream to drive a red single-seater. Yet even Michael, when he arrived at Ferrari, had to wait four years before winning his first title with us. Patience and work are required," he emphasized.
