Lewis Hamilton is totally conscious that comparisons to Michael Schumacher shall be unavoidable when he joins Ferrari in 2025. As two of essentially the most profitable drivers in System 1 historical past, their legacies are sometimes measured aspect by aspect. Hamilton has made the choice to maneuver to the Scuderia as a result of he believes it presents him the perfect alternative to safe a record-breaking eighth world championship, permitting him to surpass Michael Schumacher earlier than he retires. The 39-year-old has already surpassed the German by way of race wins (105 to 91) and pole positions (104 to 68), however many will solely contemplate him the undisputed best of all time if he clinches one other title.
Schumacher, after all, gained 5 of his seven championships with Ferrari, however his profession trajectory with the workforce was totally different from Hamilton’s. When the German driver joined Ferrari in 1996, he was 27 years previous, nonetheless within the prime of his profession. Lewis Hamilton, however, shall be 39 when he begins his new chapter with the workforce, making his window of alternative to attain his final objective comparatively slender. Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s workforce principal, has provided the British driver a two-year contract with an possibility for a 3rd season, however this may increasingly very properly be the one deal Lewis Hamilton indicators throughout his tenure at Maranello.
Whereas Ferrari has come near successful the Constructors’ Championship lately, Lewis Hamilton is optimistic that the workforce will discover the appropriate method to capitalize on the upcoming 2026 System 1 regulation adjustments, that are anticipated to be pivotal in shaping the way forward for System 1.
As a part of his transfer to Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton is planning to relocate to Italy. Stories earlier this yr steered that he would keep in Enzo Ferrari’s former residence close to the Fiorano take a look at observe, a privilege beforehand loved by Michael Schumacher. Nonetheless, it’s extra seemingly that Lewis Hamilton will use Enzo Ferrari’s home as a base when he’s on-site at Maranello. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton is predicted to accumulate a property in Italy, seemingly in Milan, which is located round 120 miles from Ferrari’s headquarters. It stays unclear whether or not the seven-time System 1 world champion will promote his Monaco residence, the place many F1 drivers reside, however the transfer to Italy marks an necessary step in his immersion with Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, has been deeply embedded within the Ferrari workforce since 2016 and made his debut in 2019. Charles Leclerc’s familiarity with the workforce will seemingly current a problem to the British driver as he adjusts to his new setting. As a part of his transition, Lewis Hamilton has already begun studying Italian, which can assist him talk extra successfully together with his mechanics and in addition forge a stronger reference to Ferrari’s passionate fanbase, the Tifosi. Rwandan and Belgian racing driver and tv presenter Naomi Schiff has steered that Charles Leclerc’s fluency in Italian might make Lewis Hamilton really feel “paranoid” throughout workforce conferences, a problem Lewis Hamilton is ready to embrace.
Throughout his time at Ferrari, Michael Schumacher lived in Vufflens-le-Château, a municipality close to the Swiss metropolis of Geneva, the place he stayed together with his household. His resolution to stay in Switzerland was influenced by private components, together with the delivery of his kids. Equally, Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Italy displays each skilled and private issues as he prepares for the subsequent part of his illustrious profession.
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