After a recent unsuccessful run with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton decided to jump ship to Ferrari. The driving force behind the decision was undoubtedly the desire to bag the eighth world title, which will take him a notch above Michael Schumacher. However, former Red Bull driver David Coulthard believes Hamilton does not need it.
“I don’t think he needs an eighth title to be considered as one of the greatest of all time. And even if he did win an eighth title, although that would represent him being the greatest winner of all time, personally, in my mind, it wouldn’t mean he was better than Ayrton [Senna] or Michael [Schumacher],” Coulthard said on the Drive to Wynn podcast.
Coulthard adds reason to his argument by citing the nuances of F1 and how they impact a driver’s career. He refers to some career decisions that do not turn out too well in a talented driver’s life. Similarly, he argues that “different lengths of life” play a part in the stats, as it did with Senna.
Nigel Mansell on Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari:
“I will go out on a limb and I will guarantee that, if Lewis can find his motivation, he has got another championship in him. Easily.”
“I think he will surprise everybody. It might take him a couple of tests to get comfortable… pic.twitter.com/kC5vrPtATm
— sin ⁴⁴ (@44britcedes) November 26, 2024
For the first argument, Fernando Alonso can be taken as a prime example. There aren’t many who doubt his ability behind the wheel. Some even consider him worthy of a lot more championships than he actually amassed over his career (2). However, some poor career decisions never gave him the chance to realize that potential.
At 43, he continues to race for a team that looks nowhere near challenging for a title anytime soon. Hamilton, on the other hand, turned out to be lucky when he made the switch from McLaren to Mercedes. Now awaiting his move to Ferrari, the seven-time champion will look to keep that run going.
Is Ferrari the ‘reset’ Hamilton needs?
Despite no title wins in the last four years, Hamilton’s Mercedes stint has yet been incredibly successful. After all, the Silver Arrows gave him the title-worthy cars that helped him win six of his seven championships.
However, the team is way past that prime that it once commanded. Moreover, there may be a monotony that Hamilton could be looking to break. That is where, in Coulthard’s opinion, Ferrari comes in.
The Scotsman believes Hamilton’s long career in F1 may have got his motivation down a bit. That “battery” naturally will charge itself up a notch once he returns from the pre-season break. Whatever is left will be fulfilled once he puts on the Ferrari red overalls, acting as the perfect “reset” for Hamilton.
