Since the Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari bombshell announcement, a lot has been said. Many believe Hamilton has lost all faith in Mercedes and is just running the clock down. However, that is not the case, at least according to Toto Wolff. The Mercedes boss believes despite his imminent move to Ferrari, the British driver is committed to the team. Despite all the setbacks and continued misery, the Austrian believes Hamilton will stay professional and put the team first till the very end.
According to Motorsport.com, Wolff said, “I think that Lewis is a pro and has behaved in that way until now, trying to keep his morale up and the morale of the team even if the results don’t come.”
The seven-time champion has suffered a turbulent start to the season which he’s labeled as the worst in his career so far. Despite feeling positive about the Mercedes W15 in the opening two rounds, it was back to square one in Australia. China was also a weekend full of mixed emotions as he finished P2 in the Sprint race and was knocked out in Q1 a few hours later. The 103-time Grand Prix winner is also yet to finish in the top 6 in a race so far.
Despite such outcomes, Wolff believes the loyal Briton will keep his and his team’s morale up till the end. He also believes the 39-year-old will the Brackley outfit understand their shortcomings.
Apart from that Wolff also revealed Hamilton has been extremely supportive of his teammate and successor George Russell. In essence, the outgoing Mercedes man might have switched loyalties but he hasn’t abandoned his team. However, come 2025 he will face a big cultural shock.
Former world champion warns Lewis Hamilton about the politics at Ferrari
Having spent a decade in the premier class, Jacques Villeneuve knows a thing or two about the sport. So, after Hamilton’s move to Ferrari became public knowledge, he had an opinion to share. An opinion that should scare the Brit as he is in for a lot of chaos and politics that accompany the Italian team.
Despite never having been part of the Scuderia himself, Villeneuve drew his opinion from his father’s time with the team. He said, “He [Lewis Hamilton] is going to the biggest team in history that has the biggest image. But also a very chaotic team, a very political team. A very difficult team where the whole of Italy loves you or hates you in five seconds.”
The intense passion of the Tifosi toward the team is common knowledge as well as the weight of expectations the famed Red suit carries. This is exactly why the 1997 world champion believes Hamilton might have a tough time adjusting.
The seven-time champion is switching to Ferrari to add another title to his name. Another scenario that will be contentious as the Italian outfit continues grooming Charles Leclerc as their champion.
There are a lot of aspects that can work against Lewis Hamilton. However, only time will tell if his tenure with Ferrari will be successful or a step in the wrong direction.
