A first Formula 1 season with Ferrari has not gone how Lewis Hamilton would have dreamed so far, his Sprint win in China the sole highlight of his maiden campaign in red so far
Lewis Hamilton has been slammed for his “inappropriate comments” at times this season. That criticism has come from a prominent former Formula 1 driver who believes some of the Brit’s outbursts are contributing to his dream Ferrari move turning into “a bit of a tragedy”.
Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari, announced early in 2024, was one of the biggest driver changes in the sport’s history. So hotly anticipated was the first sight of the seven-time F1 champion in his new surroundings that the first image of him standing in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house at Maranello broke the internet when posted on social media in January this year.
And there was early promise, despite a wretched debut for the Scuderia at the Australian Grand Prix. In just the second round of the season, 40-year-old Hamilton tasted victory with Ferrari for the first time when he won the Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
But he was disqualified from the main race a day later when his car failed post-race technical checks. And that set the tone for the next few months and, after the first six events of 24, his only Grand Prix result better than seventh place was the fifth he managed at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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He has found his feet a little more since the start of the European season and has finished fourth in a Grand Prix on three occasions. But the podium still eludes him, while his ultimate ambition of winning an eighth F1 title in red will require a significant improvement in results next year.
At times, the disappointment has got to Hamilton who has often pointed the finger at himself for a lack of performance. But he has also produced some punchy lines, particularly over the radio which has raised questions over the state of his relationship with new race engineer Riccardo Adami.
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Last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari introduced an upgraded new rear suspension which helped team-mate Charles Leclerc to record a fifth podium of the year. In contrast, Hamilton finished seventh at Spa-Francorchamps and said after the race that his car felt “the same as before”.
In the eyes of Ralf Schumacher, it is a weakness of Hamilton that he struggles to adapt to change as well as some others on the grid. Speaking on a German-language podcast, the six-time F1 race winner also criticised the Brit for some of those comments he makes at times which he believes increases the pressure.
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Schumacher said of Hamilton: “Lewis just finds it harder to cope with changes – he’s simply more sensitive in that regard. Perhaps this new rear axle at Ferrari also unintentionally suits Leclerc’s driving style better. We’ll have to wait and see in the next few races.
“It’s a bit of a tragedy and Hamilton sometimes makes inappropriate comments. Then to deliver a weekend like the one at Spa is, of course, unfortunate. But I would give him a little more time.”
