Hamilton’s Legacy in F1 and the Challenges Forward at Ferrari
From the second Lewis Hamilton burst onto the System 1 scene along with his spectacular rookie season at McLaren in 2007, he has remained on the coronary heart of the game. That 12 months, he and teammate Fernando Alonso got here agonizingly near clinching the championship, solely to see Kimi Räikkönen snatch the title in a dramatic season finale.
A 12 months later, Hamilton secured his first world title in breathtaking vogue, and from that time onward, it was by no means a matter of if however when he would rewrite the document books. Through the years, he has amassed extra race wins, pole positions, quickest laps, and podiums than any driver in F1 historical past.
But, two vital milestones nonetheless elude him—data that he would undoubtedly love to assert throughout his time at Ferrari. The primary is surpassing Michael Schumacher’s seven world championships, a feat that may carry additional weight given Schumacher’s legendary standing on the Scuderia. The second, nevertheless, is totally past his management. To grow to be the motive force with essentially the most Grand Prix begins, Lewis Hamilton should anticipate Fernando Alonso’s eventual retirement, because the Spaniard at present holds that distinction.
Although his Ferrari tenure has solely simply begun, Lewis Hamilton has already damaged one document—beforehand held by his new teammate, Charles Leclerc.
Forward of the 2025 System 1 season and Lewis Hamilton’s much-anticipated debut in crimson, former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger shared his ideas with Auto Motor und Sport. Whereas the previous System 1 driver sees the swap to Maranello as a revitalizing transfer for Lewis Hamilton’s profession, he additionally believes Charles Leclerc’s presence may pose a big problem in his pursuit of an eighth title.
Gerhard Berger Foresees Leclerc as a Main Impediment for Hamilton at Ferrari
Gerhard Berger was requested about Hamilton’s prospects at Ferrari for the upcoming season and advised that the transfer may present the contemporary motivation the seven-time champion wants. He identified that Hamilton had confronted two main challenges in recent times—Mercedes had solely been aggressive on uncommon events, and spending so lengthy with the identical staff had left him in want of a change of atmosphere.
Gerhard Berger famous that ending in fifth place was unlikely to encourage Hamilton, however he believed the Briton would want to push himself more durable at Ferrari, which may convey out his greatest as soon as once more. Nevertheless, he additionally predicted that Hamilton may wrestle towards Charles Leclerc’s uncooked pace, anticipating a intently contested battle between the 2.
When requested whether or not he believed Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari can be a profitable pairing, Berger expressed confidence that they’d work nicely collectively. He added that if the British driver have been to win a world championship with Ferrari, it might be one of the vital moments in System 1 historical past from a advertising and marketing perspective.
Though Hamilton’s marketability is plain, Ferrari’s choice to signal him was pushed by excess of simply business attraction.
One of many key challenges he could face is Charles Leclerc’s distinctive one-lap tempo, which has made him one of the formidable qualifiers on the grid. If Hamilton can match or surpass Leclerc in that space, his possibilities of contending for the championship will likely be considerably strengthened.
Gerhard Berger Affords Daring Forecast for Ferrari’s 2025 Constructors’ Title Hopes
When requested about his prediction for the 2025 Constructors’ Championship, Gerhard Berger acknowledged that he would place his guess on Ferrari. Whereas he couldn’t say for sure whether or not Hamilton or Leclerc would safe the drivers’ or constructors’ title, he was assured that the staff would declare at the very least one championship by the tip of the season.
Gerhard Berger identified that Ferrari had proven sturdy tempo all through the earlier 12 months, regardless of occasional inconsistencies. He expressed belief in Fred Vasseur’s potential to remove these fluctuations, acknowledging that whereas it had taken time, the staff now gave the impression to be on the verge of attaining higher stability.
He additionally highlighted Ferrari’s sturdy place when it comes to each engine and chassis improvement, together with the power of their driver lineup. Gerhard Berger praised Fred Vasseur’s management, describing him as composed, strategic, and persistently efficient—a high quality he had demonstrated all through his motorsport profession.
In response to Gerhard Berger, Ferrari made a sensible choice in appointing Fred Vasseur, although it was all the time anticipated that his affect would take a 12 months or two to materialize. Now, he believed the outcomes of that work have been starting to indicate. He additionally counseled Vasseur’s transfer to convey Hamilton on board, expressing confidence that below his steerage, Ferrari would return to the highest of System 1.
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