Lewis Hamilton in red. The news came out early in February and the chatter around it hasn’t stopped. It’s an exciting undercurrent to the 2024 season. With Mercedes still looking for the answer and Ferrari raising the bar, many nuances have been brought to the season because of the move. However, what happens in the future is the bone of contention. What does ‘Lewis Hamilton, a Ferrari driver’ look like?
When Rob Smedley, a famous ex-race engineer for Ferrari, was asked about how Ferrari and Hamilton would adjust to each other, he would have a better idea than most. On the Formula for Success podcast, he sketched a rough picture of what this partnership would look like. “I think he’ll love it there! I think he’s a driver that needs the team very much behind him, supporting him.”
Smedley goes on to talk about the “unique” Tifosi, Ferrari‘s die-hard fans who paint the world red. There are other such legions, sure, but “they just don’t reach that same level of passionate and almost fanatical obsession with the Ferrari team.”
He believes that Hamilton will enjoy being a part of this ‘national team,’ And that’s good because “when you win, they treat you very nicely and you never have to pay at restaurants…” While this treatment sounds like a fantasy, there is also the flip side.
Lewis about how he’s dealing with the ‘awkwardness’ of being asked about Ferrari and asked to sign Ferrari caps, while he’s still with Mercedes :
“in terms of how fans have responded, it’s been great, because I’m kind of mingling with fans from both teams”#MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/YDEe6jvm6x
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) May 3, 2024
Smedley explains the dark reality of when one doesn’t do well in Ferrari. “They also make it very clear to you that you’re not their favorite person.” However, there is a cheat code: the Michael Schumacher blueprint. “When you win them over… you are a God. And that will give Lewis the little bit of motivation that he perhaps needs.”
Lewis Hamilton will give Ferrari oomph
The new chapter will be a refreshing one for both Lewis Hamilton and the team. Ferrari desperately needed resuscitation and Fred Vasseur came in to save the day. The changes made in the team are amicable, and while props go to Vasseur for hiring Hamilton, the effects are yet to be seen.
Thus, Hamilton could be the missing piece of this puzzle Ferrari can’t wait to complete. Rob Smedley suggested, “Lewis can elevate the team that final few percent. And that’s all you ever need, right?”
Taking the examples of Red Bull and Mercedes teams who have struggled to achieve success, once again Ferrari has reached that bridge to championships. “It’s got all the right ingredients, it just needs that final few percent to elevate it, which Lewis can do. He can bring that final few percent.”
Hamilton brings this inexplicable energy to a team that many in the paddock talk about. Smedley explains he will drive the pace, and turn them into a “winning machine.”
Ferrari is ready to bring the championship back to Maranello and what more could one want than the titan of the sport, Lewis Hamilton? Invigoration, innovation, and ideas, Hamilton could very well transform the team and set them off on a trajectory for success – with championships in his bag in return.
