Ferrari’s clear plan to unlock Hamilton’s pace – Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, of that there is no doubt. Statistically he has achieved more than any other competitor, including the great Michael Schumacher although he remains level with the great German driver on seven world championships but is looking for the record breaking eighth.

Most of Hamilton’s success came during his tenure at Mercedes during which he claimed six of his seven drivers’ titles and the list of records he claimed during that period extends to several sheets of A4 paper.

A sample of these achievements includes, most race wins with a single team (81), most pole positions for a team (78), fastest lap in F1 history (2020 Italy), most world titles with a single team (6)…. The last goes on and on. Yet one thing in particular marked Hamilton out in his glory years with the silver arrows and that was his destructive one lap pace, which one team mate after another was forced to marvel at as Lewis was relentless in his pursuit of pole positions which would set up his race victories.

 

 

 

Hamilton admitted defeat in Monaco

This is the reason Hamilton’s recent demise has been so painful having capitulated 19-5 in qualifying last year to his team mate George Russell. After eight rounds in 2024, Hamilton was again beaten by Russell in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix bringing the score to 7-1. A cagey Lewis Hamilton was then seen in the media pen following the Saturday session, making coded predictions about the rest of the season.

Mercedes had only time to produce one of their new design of front wings for the race in the principality, and on this occasion the upgrade was fitted to George Russell’s car. “I don’t anticipate being ahead of George in qualifying this year,” Lewis said to assembled media.

When pressed on why that would be the case, Hamilton paused for effect then smiled meekly saying, “Let’s see.”

The moment was one of those where someone is not saying something they really want to say, but inviting their audience to forage around behind the scenes to see what they can find. Of course getting a divorce from your partner of many years, yet being forced to live and work together for another twelve months is no easy task, yet Hamilton was conveying a prediction which indeed turned out to be true.

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Mercedes F1 design criticised

At the time Hamilton was making big setup up changes which were significantly different to the direction of his team mate and with the 2024 Pirelli rubber often a mystery, Lewis could merely have been sacrificing qualifying pace in order to improve his running in the races.

Team technical director, James Allison finally put pay to Lewis’ experimentation suggesting the team had allowed him free reign for too long and it is they who would guide each weekends setup hereon.

Hamilton has never looked himself since the arrival of the all new ground effect cars in 2022. As in days of old when F1 ground effect was in its infancy, the layout of the cars producing almost half the downforce from underneath the car is quite different form those Lewis has been used to.

Further, the centre of pressure shifts forwards and backwards in the cars at a far faster rate than in the pre-ground effect cars of 2021. Lewis was convinced his mercedes team were too extreme in their experimentation with F1 car layouts. “We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers,” claimed Hamilton. “Our cockpit is too close to the front.

Hamilton refuses to compete with Schumacher

 

 

 

“When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.” Yet a glance at the ground effect cars from 1978-1982 reveals the drivers were even further forward, back in the day and further examination revealed the Red Bull cars of 2023 had a more forward driver seating position than the Mercedes.

Hamilton had sympathy amongst a number of the engineers at Mercedes, yet the general direction of car design and development direction was set by James Allison. One such engineer, Loic Serra, left Mercedes to join Ferrari where he will again team up with Hamilton in chase of the record eight championship.

Serra was believed to disagree with the zero pod design adopted by Mercedes and following two years of pursuing the aerodynamic concept, he left and following garden leave marched through the doors in Maranello last October.

The ex-Mercedes engineer is leading a technical group comprised of Diego Tondi (Head of Aerodynamics), Fabio Montecchi (Head of Chassis Project Engineering) and Marco Adurno (Head of Vehicle Performance). They are currently finalising the designs Ferrari’s 2025 challenger, codenamed project 677.

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Ferrari move to pull rod front suspension

According to Italian media, Serra has been conducting trials to conduct “maximum exploitation” of the new Pirelli rubber for this year. During the 2024 campaign, the Ferrari cars were in general good on their tyres doing the races, though they lacked a little qualifying pace.

To this end Ferrari are reverting to pull-rod suspension at the front of the car for the first time since 2015. This is said to be due to the fact that the driving styles of Hamilton and Leclerc are similar. This was not the case when Carlos Sainz was driving for the Scuderia.

An improvement in single lap pace is vital in an era when the Formula One cars are closer than ever in one lap pace. During 2024 for the first time in history, all cars in qualifying session one were within a second of each other.

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One lap pace the key for Lewis

Hamilton has racked up 104 pole positions during his illustrious career, yet over the past three years he managed just one in Hungary 2023. Mean while Leclerc has 17 pole positions across the same period.

Lewis demonstrated last time in Las Vegas, he has lost little of his racing prowess as he carved through the field from P10, to finish a close second behind his team mate. Leclerc through is no pushover when it comes to racing and the Monegasque driver will prove a stiff test for Hamilton as they go head to head in qualifying.

Should Serra et al find the silver bullet for Ferrari and deliver a race car which is quick, but also up there in qualifying, Hamilton may yet end his career on a high but first his Saturday’s must improve.

UPdate: Haas F1 BIG step

 

 

 

“Dangerous situation”: Hamilton and Verstappen go too far

Dangerous situation: Verstappen and Hamilton push boundaries in iconic rivalry – The world of Formula One is no stranger to high-stakes drama, but the 2021 season will go down in history as one of the most thrilling and controversial. Max Verstappen, who began his now dominant run of world championships that year, faced off against seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in a season-long duel that pushed both competitors to their limits – and beyond.

While the spectacle thrilled fans, it also raised concerns about safety in a sport that is inherently dangerous. Max Verstappen’s first world title in 2021 came in spectacular fashion, in the final corner of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. His journey to this championship was marked by relentless competition from Lewis Hamilton, who was chasing a record eighth title. The rivalry between these two titans of the sport provided some of the most intense on-track action in recent memory, as well as moments of controversy and danger…. READ MORE