Lewis Hamilton gears up to embark on an iconic journey with Ferrari just as when question marks are being raised on the #44 driver’s ability to sustain himself in the sport. Last year, the Briton’s weaknesses were seemingly exposed by his teammate George Russell — especially over a single lap in qualifying.
But the seven-time world champion has been touted to angle his move to the Scuderia with the hopes of clinching that elusive eighth world title. For his former teammate and rival Nico Rosberg, though, Hamilton has nothing left to prove in the paddock.
“Lewis is driven by a deep love for the sport and the desire to continue pushing himself beyond his limits. Lewis is already a legend, he would have nothing to prove, but his choice shows the hunger of a man who wants to continue to grow, both as a driver and as a person,” said the 2016 world champion in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ferrari Chairman John Elkann says Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari because he wants to keep winning in F1, not because he sees the Scuderia as a way to enjoy retirement pic.twitter.com/dhXdGDE530
— Autosport (@autosport) August 10, 2024
While Rosberg doesn’t feel like Hamilton has anything left to prove, he is acutely aware of the areas where the former Mercedes driver is lacking. 2024 showed how Hamilton struggled in qualifying and going up against someone like Charles Leclerc, next year in that respect, could prove to be a tall order for the 40-year-old.
On top of that, if Ferrari are going to have a championship-worthy car in 2025, it won’t be an open goal for Hamilton to gun for his eighth world title. His primary competition will come from his teammate Leclerc besides the contenders from McLaren and Red Bull. The #44 driver may have to pull out his best-ever performance to come out triumphant.
Can Hamilton silence his critics at Ferrari?
Last season saw many fingers pointed at Hamilton’s career trajectory in the sport. Rosberg himself is wary of the fact that the Briton has been struggling to find that all-important lap in qualifying.
And while his race pace is still the benchmark for the field, the former German racing driver feels Hamilton will be worried about his lack of pace from last year. “Especially going forward now, he has two years at Ferrari. And he will 100% be very, very worried,” he said referring to the Briton’s one-lap pace struggles.
Many speculate that Hamilton’s drop in form was a combination of knowing his time at Mercedes was over and a lack of motivation over the flawed concept of the W15. That said, whether Rosberg’s assessment of the seven-time world champion is right is only a matter of time as the sport gears up for a potentially epic 2025 season starting in March.
