After an extended wait for the reason that announcement that was made one 12 months in the past, Lewis Hamilton has formally turn into a Ferrari driver. After 12 years, his contract with Mercedes has expired, and the British driver can lastly swap groups and start his work with the Italian squad.
Because of the length of his contract, the seven-time world champion was unable to participate within the post-season Abu Dhabi exams in Ferrari colours on the finish of final 12 months. Many different drivers, reminiscent of Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon, have already had the chance to totally combine with their new groups for the upcoming season. Alternatively, Lewis Hamilton needed to await the top of January to participate in his first outing from Ferrari’s Fiorano storage with the F1-75. After this, each he and Charles Leclerc will get behind the wheel of the brand new automobile, mission “677,” on February 19 following the official presentation.
The choice made final February by workforce principal Frédéric Vasseur was not with out criticism. Many instantly noticed it as purely a advertising transfer and argued that Lewis Hamilton’s age would forestall him from reaching the targets Ferrari should pursue—particularly, profitable each world championships.
Certainly, on January 7, Lewis Hamilton turned 40, making him the second-oldest driver on the Formulation 1 grid, behind solely Fernando Alonso. Regardless of the hypothesis, the British driver desires to finish his profession by securing his eighth world title in crimson. Earlier than him, different world champions reminiscent of Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel tried and failed.
British drivers at Ferrari: the newest in an extended line
An Englishman at Maranello is nothing new—Lewis Hamilton is definitely the tenth in an extended listing. Sadly, solely two have gained a world title: Mike Hawthorn in 1958 and John Surtees in 1964. The final British driver to race for Ferrari, Eddie Irvine, got here very shut in 1999, narrowly lacking out on the championship.
One other British driver who had restricted success with Ferrari was the good Nigel Mansell. “The Lion” drove for the Italian workforce within the 1989 and 1990 seasons. In his first 12 months, he completed solely six of the 16 races on the calendar, however remarkably, he was on the rostrum in every of these six finishes. This consistency allowed him to complete fourth within the championship, behind the McLaren and Williams drivers.
Nigel Mansell himself has spoken about Ferrari’s choice and the criticism surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s signing. “I hear lots of people complaining that Lewis is just too outdated now. I don’t assume that issues. I gained the world title at that age, and I might have saved racing for extra years if politics hadn’t gotten in the way in which.” – the previous Ferrari driver identified – “If Hamilton can unleash his ‘interior hearth,’ he nonetheless has nice years forward of him. I feel this partnership between him and Ferrari is one thing improbable. I can effectively think about him ending his profession wearing crimson. He’s fulfilling the dream of a lifetime.” – Nigel Mansell concluded.
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