I'm happy for him, he's clearly banging his head at Mercedes. But I do wonder what he hopes to achieve where Alonso, Vettel, and all the other drivers since Kimi failed? Lewis definitely has it in him..... Ferrari, I'm not so sure.
I really don't know whether this is a:
Mercedes is going nowhere so I'm just going to throw shit at the wall and see what happens
Nobody other than RB is winning until regulation changes, and by that point I'll be too old anyway. My new challenge will be trying to push Ferrari into being a competent team
I'm going to retire soon and I'll kick myself if I don't drive for Ferrari at least once in my career, they're a historic team
Both Hamilton and his father have mentioned in the past that they'd like him to drive for Ferrari before retiring. I can imagine that this is what they're doing since Mercedes have lost many leading people in recent years.
Yeah I do remember Ham saying multiple times that driving for Ferrari would be great, but I never took it seriously and always interpreted it as a salary negotiation tactic with Mercedes. Guess he was serious after all.
The guy is a seven times world champ and leads in victories and poles by quite a margin, he doesn't have much more to prove honestly. Hell winning in a Ferrari is probably the only thing that he could do to cement his legacy.
Even when I saw the leaks I didn't want to believe this to be true. I was convinced Hamilton would be with Mercedes until he couldn't compete anymore.
Hopefully Sainz finds a seat on another team.
Yes, I agree. But to be fair, for the last three years HAM was unable to compete with the mercedes. Let’s see what the future in red will bring!
I guess his best bet is to go to Sauber and build the team around him, becoming the #1 driver there, even if that implies being in the midfield for all 2025
What do you think would happen with Charles if Lewis gets clear #1 status? I honestly think Lewis is there not only to tick the box, he'll try to win a championship with Ferrari, but he'll need Ferrari's support to do it. I see Charles' fans not too worried about the move, but he could've easily been demoted in this operation, and be filling Sainz's role (you're #2 unless your team mate fails or the team screws his opportunity, try to be reliable and you'll get a chance).
I think Charles is still the established #1 as it stands, meaning not having seen what's going to happen this year nor how Hamilton's going to perform in the same car. I don't think Lewis will get the "gotta prove your worth" treatment you're describing though, he already did that and to a greater extent that pretty much any other human that ever raced. My bet his that Ferrari is banking on him bringing multiple championships worth of experience first but that Charles is still the golden boy. All of that remains to be seen though.
What I’m saying is that I think Charles may be demoted to #2, if anything, just because Lewis won’t accept #2 status, and is the biggest “star” of the two.
So, unless Lewis has horrible performance, and Charles consistently beats him (which I have to admit, it’s a real possibility), in my mind, Ferrari will favor Lewis over Charles if they need to choose between the two.
You don’t sign a 7 times world champion to tell him “now, be quiet and play nice to the promise kid”. At least at the beginning, I think the team will work around Lewis (unless he performs horribly). And Charles will be told to be patient and wait for his opportunity (which is exactly what they told Sainz).
Time will tell. But I think you're exaggerating when saying they'll ask either of them to "play quiet" or be patient.
You mean they’ll let them compete? So far, Ferrari always favors one of the drivers. Which one depends on several factors. But you don’t see Ferrari letting its drivers compete the way Alpine does, for example. And I see no reason why both drivers will gladly play #2. But yes, time will tell.
No. I think it will be based on results before history. I mean this will probably play out more like Lewis vs Alonso (with less animosity I hope) than Michael vs Rubens. You completely ignore how much time, money and effort they have been investing in Charles. I don't think that a 40 y.o Lewis will change any of this. And I also think you are taking the #1vs#2 driver a bit too black and white.
So do I, more interesting anyway than talking with yes men and I'm honestly speculating a whole fucking lot here anyway. See you in two years take care.
So, that would imply Ferrari has just invested a ton of money in a #2. Why bother then? They had a perfectly capable #2 in Sainz, who’s younger than Lewis, and was very close to Charles in performance. Why would they go to the trouble? And also, do you think Lewis will be ok with #2 role at Ferrari?
Lewis brings more visibility to the team which means more money and prestige for them. Also saying Lewis is a #2 to Charles is not an insult. Charles is probably the second best driver after Verstappen right now.
Yes, Charles is a very fast driver, but just answer my last question: do you think Lewis will accept number 2 status at Ferrari? Let’s not forget that it’s the same Lewis that didn’t accept number two status as a rookie against a two times world champion (Alonso) at McLaren.
Do you think he’ll play number two to a promising driver that has won no championships yet, even if he’s considered one of the best drivers on the grid? Again, he showed no respect for a two times world champion.
Yeah but that's almost 20 years ago at that point. It's definitely going to be interesting to see if they fight like Vettel and Lerclerc did
I think they will fight like Vettel and Leclerc. I think this will be like Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren, but now Hamilton will be Alonso. The fast, young promising driver against the established world champion who expects #1 treatment. (With the added irony that Charles is not a rookie and has been #1 for some time now).
Will it work? I have no idea. Knowing Ferrari, it may be the best thing they’ve done in years, or be a complete disaster (the second being more probable, in my opinion).
In any case, it’ll add a lot of drama to the sport XDDD
