Lewis Hamilton has been backed to have a similar impact on Ferrari to Michael Schumacher ahead of his shock exit from Mercedes.
Martin Brundle reckons 'something changed' for Hamilton at Mercedes that saw him take up Ferrari's lucrative offer.
It was confirmed on Thursday that the seven-time world champion would be moving on at the end of the 2024 season.
Hamilton has signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari after activating an exit clause in the deal he signed with Mercedes last year.
Lewis Hamilton has been backed to have a similar impact on Ferrari to Michael Schumacher
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It will bring an end to a long and successful stint for Hamilton at Mercedes, where he has won six of his world titles.
He was linked with a move to Ferrari last year but played down any speculation of joining the Italian giant.
Former driver Brundle, famed for his pre-race grid walks, has questioned whether Hamilton was unhappy with something at Mercedes, which in turn may have triggered his exit.
Brundle told Sky News: "We've talked to Lewis on Sky F1 for years about 'Wouldn't you like to drive for Ferrari at some point?'. Almost every Formula One driver wants to.
"And he sort of hit it with a straight bat, 'Mercedes is for me'. Even at McLaren, he had Mercedes-Benz engines and it seemed like he was going to end up doing a Stirling Moss and being an ambassador there for life.
"But something's obviously changed, either he doesn't like what he saw at Mercedes or he just wanted a new challenge in this final phase of his Formula One career.
"I think the lure was just too great for him and it's great for Formula One and it's great for us."
Brundle later wondered if Mercedes' new car had an impact on Hamilton's decision, adding: "Has he seen something on the 2024 car he doesn't like?"
Ferrari were the only team other than Red Bull to win a race in the 2023 season, with Carlos Sainz victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix.
It has been confirmed that Hamilton will replace Sainz and team up with Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari have not won the constructors' championship since 2008 and the drivers' championship since 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen was victorious.
Brundle has compared the current situation to the mid-1990s, when Ferrari hadn't won a drivers' championship or constructors' championship for well over a decade.
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Michael Schumacher won five world titles in a row at Ferrari
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Schumacher joined the team in 1996 and won his first title with them in 2000, the first of five in a row.
Brundle says Hamilton can have a similar impact to Schumacher by bringing the glory days back to Ferrari.
He said: "If he can go to Ferrari and do a Michael Schumacher and help turn it all round, so they can start winning races and world championships, that would be wonderful.
"As long as he doesn't go there and do a Fernando Alonso or a Sebastian Vettel, where it was tantalisingly close for Alonso but it didn't quite happen.
Lewis Hamilton has been at Mercedes since 2013
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"He's got a very fast young driver there in Charles Leclerc but he's got a very fast young driver in George Russell at Mercedes, there are a lot of good kids on the grid.
"I just think he needed to refocus on his racing, his racing driving, and get a new challenge."
