Seven-time Components 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is making ready to shut the chapter on his extremely profitable profession with Mercedes as he transitions into a brand new section with Ferrari.
Ending probably the most affluent partnerships in Components 1 historical past was no straightforward alternative for the 39-year-old driver. Throughout his time with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton claimed six Drivers’ Championships and helped the group safe eight Constructors’ titles, solidifying their dominance within the sport. Nonetheless, with the most recent era of vehicles, the steadiness of energy shifted in favor of Max Verstappen and Crimson Bull, and extra lately, McLaren has risen to problem them.
Regardless of this shift, group principal Toto Wolff solely supplied Lewis Hamilton a contract with a break clause, which finally paved the way in which for Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari in 2025 when the chance arose. But, 2024 has been probably the most difficult seasons of Lewis Hamilton’s illustrious profession, as he finishes exterior the highest six within the championship standings for the primary time.
Lewis Hamilton has signed a profitable take care of the Maranello group, initially set to run till the conclusion of the 2026 Components 1 marketing campaign. Either side maintain the choice to increase the contract, giving Hamilton the possibility to judge the efficiency of Ferrari’s next-generation automotive in 2026 and assess his possibilities of securing further world titles.
In a dialog with Sport1, Ralf Schumacher mentioned why he believes the British driver could not even full his contract at Ferrari, suggesting there’s a actual chance that the Brit may depart sooner than anticipated. When requested about the opportunity of Lewis Hamilton not finishing the primary two years of his contract, the previous Components 1 driver responded: “The hazard is there if the whole lot goes negatively. I believe that if Lewis realises that he’s not dwelling as much as his personal expectations, he’ll say so.”
Peter Windsor is unsure whether or not Ferrari totally thought-about all potential outcomes after they signed Hamilton, however he believes the advantages far outweigh any potential dangers.
Lewis Hamilton, when fully centered and in the fitting automotive, is an extremely powerful competitor to beat—a undeniable fact that early indications counsel he could expertise when he joins Ferrari at Maranello.
Group principal Frederic Vasseur shall be happy with the progress Ferrari made in 2024, although he’s properly conscious that there’s nonetheless untapped potential the group can discover as they head into the subsequent season.
Ralf Schumacher, having firsthand expertise with Ferrari’s inside workings, is well-versed in how the Italian press can deal with the group’s drivers.
He witnessed how his brother Michael was dealt with by the media through the difficult early years with Ferrari, significantly how the press reacted to each Michael’s teammates and his personal success when he went on to win 5 consecutive championships with the Scuderia. When requested how lengthy Hamilton would obtain favorable therapy from the Italian media, the German responded: “The expectations are excessive, and so are the feelings. You received’t have persistence for greater than six months if issues aren’t going properly. He’s not used to the stress from exterior. In Italy, the clocks tick somewhat in a different way. Even in Michael’s time, they needed to fireside Jean Todt when the successes took too lengthy. Michael prevented that and it ended up being a contented ending. Sadly, I doubt that may occur with Lewis. However perhaps he’ll be fortunate and the automotive will swimsuit him. Then the whole lot may end up very properly. However I’ve my doubts.” – he defined.
The British driver is keen to expertise his first outing in a Ferrari, however was unable to take action through the post-season testing. As an alternative, his preliminary alternative to get a really feel for all times with the Maranello group will possible come throughout a TPC (Testing of Earlier Automobiles) session on the Fiorano circuit, which is scheduled earlier than the official pre-season testing begins.
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