Lewis Hamilton, at the age of 40, will make a move to Ferrari in what many term the biggest driver transfer of all time. However, with his last two years in F1 being rather quiet, some have questioned whether he is too old to compete at the highest level, be it at Mercedes or Ferrari. F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali, however, believes that Hamilton has lost none of his talent.
Hamilton has been at Mercedes since 2013 and won 6 world titles with the Brackley-based team. However, his last two years in F1 (including the current campaign), have been difficult. Mercedes have failed to cope well with the ground-effect regulation changes of 2022, leading to a fall in the pecking order. So, the Briton, who is still in pursuit of an eighth world title overall, decided to join a team that is most likely to win the title after Red Bull – Ferrari.
Domenicali feels that Hamilton still has what it takes to be a top driver. The F1 boss, who is present at almost every race revealed (as quoted by NextGen Auto), “Hamilton has lost nothing of his talent and is always thirsty for success.”
Mercedes, Hamilton’s home for over a decade has frustrated Hamilton a lot with their inferior mechanical package as of late. The 39-year-old has been complaining about the car for over two years now. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be improving.
Lewis Hamilton’s future away from Mercedes
Mercedes’ struggles seem to be never-ending. Since 2022, the best minds at the team have worked hard at trying to find a permanent solution to their problems. But every time they take a step forward, a lingering issue comes up hindering their performance.
One of the major things the Silver Arrows have failed to master is their aerodynamic prowess. The Mercedes W15 is very slow in the high-speed corners, affecting Hamilton and George Russell’s pace in both qualifying and the race.
Hamilton often insisted that he trusted Mercedes, and expected them to come up with a solution that could help them compete for race wins again. However, with time running out for the Stevenage-born driver, he decided to fulfill a personal dream of his and move to Ferrari.
The Maranello-based outfit is also glory-starved, having last won a title in 2008. Hamilton would like to end both his wait for a championship and also the Tifosi. It will be a partnership that on paper, could lead to a happy ending for both.
