It’s a query that has accompanied us all through 2024 and can proceed at the least till March: was Lewis Hamilton a technical asset for Ferrari, or was his signing pushed solely by industrial causes, because the fiercest critics declare?
The 2024 Formulation 1 championship, which concluded on December 8 with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was not among the best for the seven-time F1 world champion, it is a well-established truth. The optimistic side was his return to victory: he gained twice, each on iconic and extremely demanding tracks like Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. The draw back is that he as soon as once more misplaced the interior battle each in qualifying and in races. This case mirrored on the standings, with George Russell as soon as once more forward of his fellow countryman.
These information led some to consider that the British driver was on the decline. Clearly, we’re speaking a few driver who will flip 40 in a couple of days, so it’s pure to not anticipate his profession to nonetheless be growing towards its peak. Nevertheless, one have to be cautious with harsh judgments, avoiding drawing maybe hasty conclusions.
Lewis Hamilton didn’t have a combined season as a result of a scarcity of motivation or due to an inside battle inside Mercedes after his change to Ferrari was introduced on February 1. No, the British driver paid the worth as a result of W15, a automobile he by no means actually linked with, particularly when it comes to attaining quick lap instances, the place the sensation and symbiosis with the automobile must be whole.
To begin with, it ought to be emphasised that the common hole Lewis Hamilton needed to George Russell in qualifying was amplified when it comes to grid positions. With a really carefully matched efficiency package deal, even shedding a couple of tenths might value a number of positions. This dynamic magnified the distinction between the 2 Mercedes drivers.
The top of monitor engineering, Andrew Shovlin, defined that Hamilton’s difficulties had been primarily as a result of a automobile that wasn’t very quick and had a setup window that was too slim. Some might rightfully level out that these points additionally affected George Russell.
One of many technical traits of the W15 was its tendency to lock the brakes throughout braking, a characteristic that didn’t swimsuit Hamilton’s driving fashion, particularly because the former McLaren driver prefers {smooth} braking. Moreover, the automobile tended to take not-so-smooth racing traces exiting corners, behaving virtually “in jerks,” one other issue not in keeping with Hamilton’s driving fashion. In races the place these points had been overcome, like Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and even Las Vegas, Lewis managed to carry his personal and ship sturdy performances. Nevertheless, the issue was that the automobile couldn’t carry out like this persistently over the course of the 24 races.
Many drivers who are inclined to excel at braking have confronted difficulties with the new-generation automobiles. Hamilton’s points had been evident in all three years of most of these automobiles. So, are the traits of ground-effect automobiles one thing the British champion has by no means totally tailored to? In line with Shovlin, that’s not the answer to the puzzle.
Within the engineer’s opinion, the issue stemmed from a attribute that has plagued Mercedes automobiles over the previous three years: getting the automobile to rotate whereas stopping overheating of the rear tires. In reality, final 12 months Hamilton had complained extensively in regards to the rear finish of the W14, even elevating doubts in regards to the automobile’s design philosophy. These issues grew so giant and convincing that the creator of that automobile, Mike Elliott, was successfully sidelined from the group till his contract was terminated.
Lewis Hamilton’s driving fashion exacerbated the issues on a single lap. The issue in holding the rear tires throughout the perfect operational window was felt considerably this season, resulting in a transparent inside defeat when it comes to pushing on a lap.
George Russell demonstrated higher adaptability to the traits of the Silver Arrow. It’s not that Hamilton didn’t attempt to use setups much like his teammate’s, however the outcomes had been virtually by no means passable. Lewis’ issues grew to become evident when pushing to the utmost on a quick lap. It was in these circumstances – and we noticed this repeatedly within the dynamic habits of the W15 – that the difficulties with the rear finish grew to become obvious.
The automobile tended to snap into oversteer, forcing Lewis to “struggle” from the middle of the nook to the exit, which precipitated him to lose valuable hundredths of a second in every flip. This habits was due each to the setups and to how the quick lap was ready with rear tires that weren’t completely within the thermal window.
Mercedes, in response to Shovlin himself, didn’t persistently present a automobile that allowed Lewis to achieve the restrict based mostly on his driving fashion. It wasn’t straightforward to enter an excellent steadiness window and, particularly for Lewis, as soon as that window was reached, it wasn’t straightforward to take care of it. This explains weekends that began effectively when it comes to setup however ended poorly with an incapability to adapt to a altering monitor. These points pale when the distances elevated. On race tempo, Hamilton typically confirmed that he was forward of his teammate, however monitor place strongly penalized him as a result of he typically needed to get well many positions, provided that he didn’t all the time make it into Q3, one thing Russell managed with extra consistency.
Lewis Hamilton and his prospects at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton arrives at Ferrari hoping to discover a automobile – at present known as Challenge 677 – that’s extra simple and has a wider operational window, enabling him to be quick within the race – one thing that occurs comparatively simply – but in addition in qualifying.
On the only lap, the British driver will possible face the most effective qualifier on the grid, that means the interior battle might flip right into a form of nightmare for the seven-time world champion. In 2024, Charles Leclerc, whereas beating Carlos Sainz, often confirmed some issue in getting the Pirelli tires into the precise window.
A whole lot of work was executed with Callum Frith, Ferrari’s tire chief, however not all difficulties have been overcome. The Ferrari SF-24, at one level, took a improvement course that wasn’t fully suited to the Monegasque driver’s fashion, which considerably resembles Hamilton’s. Like Lewis, Charles prefers a extra stable entrance finish with a rear finish that’s simpler to manage.
The rear axle must be guided with out exhibiting the jerky actions Shovlin talked about. With the updates launched through the summer season, Ferrari grew to become a automobile that was much less susceptible to understeer and simpler to drive with a rear finish below management; this helped Charles, who within the second half of 2024 was the driving force who collected probably the most factors of all the opposite contenders.
Subsequent 12 months, Ferrari could have two drivers who, normally, favor a automobile with very particular traits, not like what occurred in 2024 with Carlos Sainz, who tends to favor barely understeering automobiles. Clearly, this divergence in driving types has additionally mirrored within the improvement path taken by the Maranello engineers and technicians. Subsequent 12 months, nevertheless, the trail to comply with can be a single one: each drivers may benefit from this technical situation.
Clearly, we wouldn’t have a crystal ball, nor can we intend to make predictions about what the interior battle at Ferrari will yield, however it’s potential to think about that the 2025 automobile, if it follows the tendencies seen within the last months of the 2024 season, might be a instrument that permits Hamilton to beat the difficulties encountered over the past world championship.
However, Ferrari additionally has some small points to deal with, as group principal Frederic Vasseur stated through the end-of-year press convention. Resolving the thermal administration points with the tires which have often emerged is essential to keep away from the sinusoidal sample that characterised the 2024 season.
At Maranello, they need to keep away from the highs and lows that finally weighed on the constructors’ championship battle, they usually intend to arrange a quick automobile proper from the beginning, one that may develop although beginning January 1, it will likely be potential to work on the brand new technology automobiles that may characterize the 2026 championship.
Lewis Hamilton hopes to discover a automobile that isn’t as temperamental because the final three he needed to drive below the Mercedes banner. We’ll see if Ferrari’s technicians can succeed on this endeavor and if the difficulties the British champion confronted final 12 months had been actually technical and never, as critics declare, as a result of a driver on the decline.
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