It was a seismic shock when Lewis Hamilton announced his move to jump ship from Mercedes to Ferrari next year. A lot has been said about the prospects of Hamilton and Ferrari’s partnership with anticipation for the Briton clinching his eighth world title with the Italian outfit. While that is an obvious goal, there is nothing else that Hamilton has left to prove or show in F1 after racking up so many records, right? Will Buxton thinks otherwise.
The F1 presenter discusses how the seven-time world champion still has some untapped potential, particularly a version of him from the GP2 and F3 days when he worked with Fred Vasseur. Buxton said that reuniting with his former team principal could rejuvenate Hamilton and tap his “rawness” as a rookie who took F1 by storm in 2007-08.
On The Creative Drive podcast, Buxton said, “I also think linking up with Fred Vasseur is a brilliant way to go full circle because Fred was his team boss in F3 and GP2. And I believe fervently created the most potent version of Lewis Hamilton that has ever existed.”
“The rawness of that kid in F3 and GP2, we’ve never seen that untap in F1”, he added.
The British presenter feels that if Vasseur can help Hamilton tap that F2 version of himself, it could be a “full circle” moment and “the greatest comeback that sports has ever seen”.
|| Will Buxton on Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari and reuniting with Fred Vasseur:
“I also think linking up with Fred Vasseur is a brilliant way to go full circle because Fred was his team boss in F3 and GP2. And I believe fervently created the most potent version of Lewis… pic.twitter.com/CpO6DOz8WP
— sin ⁴⁴ (@44britcedes) November 14, 2024
Vasseur has worked with the seven-time world champion during his junior formula days and knows him quite well. They shared an excellent bond, and even though they haven’t worked together since 2007, their conversations in the last year or so indicate that Hamilton could settle in smoothly at Ferrari.
How Vasseur holds the key to Hamilton’s success at Ferrari
Vasseur is one of the few individuals at Ferrari who can help Hamilton bridge the cultural gap he has with the team. Having spent 12 years at Mercedes, fitting in with the team’s culture and processes will be the biggest challenge for the Briton.
If he can achieve that, then it will be an easier process to find his mojo back after his Mercedes stint. Buxton’s comments also align on this aspect that Hamilton hasn’t got a car in the past three years to maximize his potential.
Herein, Vasseur only needs to keep going about his job as he has so far, and that is to bring Ferrari back into contention for race wins. If the Frenchman can push the team forward into championship contention next year, Hamilton would be most grateful to him.
