Lewis Hamilton fans can finally rejoice after seeing the Briton have a horrible season so far. The Canadian Grand Prix was the highlight of this year as Hamilton finished P4 and George Russell on the podium, however, the season could have gone better for the 7-time world champion. Although there is still a major part of the season left, anything can happen before Hamilton makes his move to Ferrari.
Ferrari will be a new experience for Hamilton as he has spent more than a decade with Mercedes. Moving to Italy will be one of the things he will have to adjust to as most of the team is Italian-speaking, which will become a new language for Hamilton to learn. Along with that, a world champion-winning Ferrari aerodynamicist comes forth to give the Briton a piece of advice.
Former Ferrari engineer gives Lewis Hamilton a few words of wisdom
Nikolas Tombazis was called onto the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast and that’s where he spoke about his experience working with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen. After some chit-chat, the conversation progressed towards Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari. That’s when the host Tom Clarkson asks him, “What advice would you give Lewis Hamilton, who’s going there in 2025, on how to deal with Ferrari?“
Tombazis replied to the question, explaining, “He has dealt with a lot of pressure in his career as well. He’s always been in an Anglo-Saxon environment, and now he needs to go there and still win races with them. I don’t think he’s waiting for my advice, but I think he can do it.” He spoke about the Italian newspaper where things get controversial saying, “Probably don’t read Gazzetta.” The discussion took a turn when Tombazis was asked about his move to Ferrari: “When he went there, remember being told by everyone at Ferrari that one of your biggest advantages was having everything under one roof: engine, chassis, all being manufactured together. Did you feel that?” Like Hamilton, the former Ferrari engineer joined the team after quitting his job at Benetton Formula.
Tombazis responded: “Yes, for sure. I did feel that having everything underneath back then was a big advantage, more than it would be nowadays. I would say nowadays the packaging of the engine is much more controlled than it was back then. Nowadays, you can even have a big disadvantage for having an engine back then. I think it was quite a big, important advantage, yes.” Working with a brand like Ferrari is a privilege, especially in the F1 world where the team leads the most championships won list. Moving will not be an easy task for Hamilton as he ought to have grown to get used to Mercedes in the decade that he was with him. Let’s take a look at all the challenges that the 7-time world champion might face in Ferrari.
Difficulties await for Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari
Speaking of Gazzetta, René Arnoux was interviewed by the Italian newspaper where the former Ferrari driver spoke about the difficulties that the Briton will face in the team. Arnoux explained how Hamilton will be 40 when he joins Ferrari and this might lead to him not being able to perform that well with age.
The F1 legend also explained how a teammate is a driver’s biggest rival and with Hamilton going to Ferrari, he will be up against Leclerc who the team has already invested in. According to Arnoux, each team has a number 1 driver who gets all the benefits while stating some examples of Michael Schumacher’s teammates and the current winning team, Perez and Verstappen.
In Ferrari, they will be fighting for the championship and the team will not know who to support as both, in their lineup, are race winners. Although Charles Leclerc is performing extremely well this season and has managed to keep Hamilton at the far back on the driver’s championship, it’s only until the 7-time world champion gets into a competitive car; that will be helpful in understanding who is at their prime.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton made the right decision to go to Ferrari? Will this mean an 8th world championship for him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.