Hamilton at Ferrari suffering same issue as Vettel – Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was the surprise F1 driver switch of the century so far. No team and driver have enjoyed the success of Hamilton and Mercedes together in the history of Formula One racing.
Yet denied a fresh contract of more than a year by Toto Wolff, Hamilton called his friend, John Elkann the president of the Ferrari group, before the ink was dry on his Mercedes deal. Lewis announced he was leaving Mercedes before a wheel had turned in anger for the 2024 season, but since joining the Scuderia his form has gone from bad to worse.
Charles Leclerc has claimed Ferrari’s five podiums this year and is responsible for some 60% of the points scored for the team. Hamilton meanwhile has been struggling with the SF-25, particularly rear end instability, something Sebastian Vettel felt during his six years with the Maranello based team.
“A Seb Spin’ becomes a ‘thing’
Ferrari brought an upgrade to their suspension for the Austrian Grand Prix and Hamilton duly responded by putting in his joint best finish for the season at the Red Bull Ring and again in Silverstone. Yet come Belgium in qualifying, Hamilton lost traction into the final chicane as his Ferrari swapped ends on him. The result was he was to start the grand prix in a lowly P16 come the race on Sunday.
For this writer the spin resembled something Hamilton’s predecessor, Sebastian Vettel, who became famous for this during his six seasons with the Italian team. Over that time a list of unforced errors became something of a regular paddock joke and popular internet memes were posted alluding to the infamous “Seb Spin.”
One included a picture of then team boss, Mattia Binotto, on the phone with a voice over of him saying “Pronto Seb.” Vettel responded, “Spinalla” – a code word which then triggered the quadruple world champion to spin at that moment.
Whilst amusing initially, Vettel’s persistent mistakes turned the unforced spin into an art form. Daniel Ricciardo epitomised the extent to which the joke had taken root in the paddock, when he labelled his own unforced error at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix “a Seb spin.”
Hamilton trying Vettel’s Ferrari setup routine
Hamilton too has been displaying another Vettel trait whilst at Ferrari, as he would persistently experiment with a wide range of setups during the practice sessions, rather than fine tuning the one he started with as does Charles Leclerc. A Ferrari insider now highlights the similarity, recalling how each time he wold return to the pit lane, Vettel would demand ‘more front wing.’
Speaking to Sky Sports Italy, former Scuderia engineer, Francesco Cigarini, now gives his insight into how Leclerc’s setup have affected his team mates in the past and how Hamilton is being similarly plagued. “It is known that Leclerc, even when Vettel was there, prefers a very pointed car,” said Cigarini. “This means that he leaves the rear very free, having to control it with sensitivity.”
“When Vettel wanted to copy those set-ups to achieve the same performance, he turned around and looked like a fool. I think the same thing is happening to Hamilton. I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me that Hamilton is talking, having a hot phone conversation with Vettel, looking for a conversation to get out of it,” concluded Cigarini.
Following the Ferrari suspension upgrade in Austria, Lewis Hamilton admitted he was moving towards a similar setup to his team going forward. “Set-up even closer to Charles, yeah,” he told reporters. “He drives a massively oversteering car. Somehow slides the rear, so it doesn’t have degradation. When I slide the rear, I get massive degradation. It’s definitely something I think you have to get used to. Supposedly, it took Carlos a couple of years to get used to. I don’t want to do that.”
New rules could spark another F1 power struggle
Hamilton driving style needs to change
Hamilton has always had an aggressive style of driving, with it being likened to a ‘go-karter’ refined on a kind of stop/start track layout. Lewis has always been keen to get to full throttle when getting on the power, something he needs to tame if he is to get the best out of the SF-25.
Whilst Hamilton hasn’t suffered the number of spins during his Ferrari career as Vettel became famous for, the lack of feel and grip at the rear of his car is causing Lewis a lack of confidence. And with the entire top ten in qualifying last time out covered by just over half a second, this lack of confidence is hurting the seven times world champion.
Lewis has a rock solid contract with Ferrari in his pocket and were they to dismiss him the commercial interests of the team would take a dramatic dive. Ferrar’s share price surged on the announcement of Hamilton joining the team and it has been reported in the Italian media he has brought sponsorship deals worth in the region of $50m.
The team is expected to have raised a similar amount since Hamilton’s arrival, via merchandising and licensing deals which run throughout this season. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport recently, Giovanni Palazzi – president of sponsorship experts StageUp, revealed Ferrari’s wider profits are up 9% since the seven times world champion joined the Scuderia.
Ferrari sponsorship deals will take a hit
“The increase in merchandising and the increase in sponsorship revenue can be explained by Hamilton’s appeal, as he’s not just a driver but a living sporting legend,” he said. Yet as the once all conquering Sebastian Vettel was to discover, when the results are not coming, a legend can descend into farce.
As Palazzi continues he warms of diminishing returns for Ferrari, should Hamilton be unable to demonstrate the skills that made him a seven times F1 champion. “Naturally, there’s a weakness: if the negative results persist, the legend could also suffer, impacting enthusiasm and commercial returns,” he concludes.
The report in La Gazzetta continues to outline the $75m in revenue the driver has brought to Ferrari, but states even this figure would have been larger had Hamilton performed better.
The million dollar question is, ‘can Lewis Hamilton find something of his old form?’ Yet now in his fourth season in the doldrums, the dominant winning years at Mercedes are no longer a short term memory, but becoming the scribes highlights for Lewis, in the annuls of F1 history.
MORE F1 NEWS – Hamilton “an emotional timebomb” says senior paddock jounrlaist
Lewis Hamilton has across his career become something of a marmite character who creates divisive opinion. His legion of fans, the Hamfosi, believe the seven times Formula One champion can do no wrong and they they expressed their dissatisfaction on social media and turned on his faithful Mercedes team for failing to give Lewis a winning car for several seasons.
Even during his short career at Ferrari, there are Hamilton fans who believe the team is now favouring Charles Leclerc, yet the simple fact for the British driver is he has been beaten by his team mate now in three of the four last campaigns. Leclerc has claimed all of Ferrari’s podiums on Sunday’s and Hamilton is heading for a most unwanted record as a Ferrari driver.
With fourteen Grand Prix now completed, Hamilton needs just four more weekends without a podium on Sunday, to equal the record held by Didier Pironi who went eighteen F1 rounds after joining the Scuderia without recording a top three finish…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
