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FORMULA 1

Ferrari told they made a mistake over Lewis Hamilton as Fred Vasseur faces regret

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Frederic Vasseur has been warned that he may live to regret bringing Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari.

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has been warned that he may have jumped the gun by ditching Carlos Sainz in favor of Lewis Hamilton. The Brit will partner Charles Leclerc from next season onwards, leaving Sainz without a drive for 2025 despite being one of the best performers on the grid this year.

Sainz has finished on the podium in every race he has competed in this season, claiming third place in Bahrain before winning the Australian Grand Prix. His victory came just two weeks after he was forced to sit out of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he was replaced by Oliver Bearman after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is enduring his worst start to a season in recent memory having finished no higher than seventh after the opening three races. Former F1 driver Christian Danner has warned that Sainz’s impressive form is ‘messing everything up’ at Ferrari, who he believes might live to regret their decision to replace him with Hamilton.

Hamilton has endured his worst start to an F1 season in 2024
Hamilton has endured his worst start to an F1 season in 2024

“If you want Hamilton, you’ve kept the wrong one because he [Sainz] is faster, but that’s highly political,” Danner told MotorsportMagazin. “He [Vasseur] should have waited a little longer. It wasn’t a necessity. I wouldn’t blame Lewis for stumbling at the moment, but one thing is clear.

“Sainz in this kind of form, when he has Leclerc under control like this, you can say that he [Vasseur] perhaps made his decision too early. Sainz is approaching it with a commitment, a joy and an aggressiveness. I really like that. It also requires a fervent attitude: ‘Now it’s me and no one else’.

“You can see it not only in his eyes, but in every corner and at the moment, Carlos Sainz is messing everything up at Ferrari. First of all, you’ve signed the wrong driver for next year. Hamilton is behind, he’s [Sainz] much better.”

Sainz will be replaced by Hamilton next year no matter what he does this season
Sainz will be replaced by Hamilton next year no matter what he does this season

Sainz is likely to attract plenty of interest from other teams ahead of next season thanks to his impressive start to the current campaign. He has already been linked with a move to Stake, who will become the Audi works team in 2026, but it has also been speculated that he could join Red Bull if Sergio Perez is relieved of his duties.

Christian Horner refused to rule out the possibility of moving for Sainz after his impressive victory in Australia, saying: “We want to field the best pairing we can with Red Bull Racing so sometimes you have got to look outside the pool as well.

“The market is reasonably fluid in certain parts. I mean, based on a performance like that, you couldn’t rule any possibility out so I think we just want to take the time.”

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FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton could bring Mercedes staff member with him to Ferrari as ‘terms agreed’

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One Mercedes employee could be about to follow in Hamilton’s footsteps towards Maranello.

A key Mercedes staff member is reportedly in talks to follow Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari from the beginning of the 2025 season.

Hamilton shocked the F1 world by signing a multi-year contract with the Scuderia in January, in a move which will see him team up with Charles Leclerc at the Italian team from 2025.

He agreed a new two-year contract with Mercedes last year, but it was revealed that the second year was only an optional extension that the seven-time world champion could choose not to exercise.

Mercedes are thus far yet to announce Hamilton’s replacement, with Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz among those linked with taking the soon-to-be vacant role.

PlanetF1 reported that Hamilton’s Ferrari contract contains a ‘no-poaching clause’, which means the Englishman cannot directly approach members of his own team to join him at the Scuderia.

While the Silver Arrows have not confirmed this publicly, a source told PlanetF1 that the existence of the clause was ‘accurate’.

However, such a clause doesn’t entirely stop a Mercedes team member moving across to Maranello – and it is claimed that one significant figure is close to completing a move in that direction.

According to Motorsport.nextgen-auto.com, sources claim that Mercedes driver development director Jerome d’Ambrosio has been in talks with the Scuderia over potentially joining the team in 2025.

It is also claimed that ‘terms have been agreed’ on a deal that would see d’Ambrosio join the team after completing a period of gardening leave.

D’Ambrosio is a former F1 driver, having raced for the Marussia Virgin Racing team in the 2011 season. He also deputised for Romain Grosjean at the 2012 Italian Grand Prix after the Frenchman received a one-race ban.

After retiring, the Belgian became team principal of Formula E team Venturi Racing before taking up his post at Mercedes.

Last season, D’Ambrosio filled the duties of regular team principal Toto Wolff at two Grands Prix after the Austrian was forced to undergo knee surgery.

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FORMULA 1

George Russell openly questions Lewis Hamilton’s Bahrain Grand Prix set-up claims

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George Russell has openly questioned Lewis Hamilton’s claims over his chosen set-up at the Bahrain Grand Prix, claiming the two Mercedes cars were actually “pretty similar.”

Lewis Hamilton speaks to the media at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix with a prominent Mercedes badge alongside him

Having announced last month that he will join Ferrari for 2025, Hamilton’s final season as a Mercedes driver got off to a muted start at the 2024 season opener in Bahrain.

George Russell doubts Lewis Hamilton setup claims

While Russell claimed third on the grid with a lap just three tenths short of Max Verstappen’s time for pole position, Hamilton could only manage ninth on the grid, more than two tenths slower than his Mercedes team-mate.

Russell and Hamilton went on to come home fifth and seventh respectively on race day, with Mercedes forced to manage overhearing issues having elected for an unsuitable cooling configuration with temperatures in Sakhir higher than anticipated on race day.

 

George Russell is '100 per cent a world champion in the making' as he looks to achieve the rare feat of beating Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Formula 1 drivers' championship

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher after qualifying, Hamilton indicated that he and Russell had taken different set-up directions with the seven-time World Champion’s chosen path better suited to race conditions.

“[On Thursday] during my work, we were doing identical car setups, and I was feeling great,” Hamilton said.

“We veered off – he went one way, and I went the other. You could say that the one I was on is not good on a single lap, but I hope it’s good in the race.

“I wasn’t comfortable with my race pace [in practice].

“So I changed the car to hopefully make the race pace better but we’ll see if that’s really the case.”

Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes 'got it wrong' with new car as Toto Wolff details F1 2022 dilemma | F1 News | Sky Sports

Put to him after the race that his team-mate chose a different setup, however, Russell argued that the Mercedes cars were in a similar ballpark with set-up – with his own better suit to race conditions.

He told media including PlanetF1.com: “Many people have said this.

“I don’t really know the big differences, to be honest, because as far as I’m aware with the cars we’re pretty similar.

“I don’t really focus too much on his set-up. Mine was actually more set up for the race than the set-up he ran. At least it was on Friday [for qualifying].”

F1: Lewis Hamilton full of confidence after Spanish Grand Prix comeback | The Independent

Russell stands as the last driver to win a race for Mercedes, having claimed his maiden F1 victory at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Hamilton, meanwhile, remains without a win since the penultimate round of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia, with the Jeddah circuit set to host the second race of the 2024 campaign this Saturday.

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FORMULA 1

Sir Lewis Hamilton explains his move to Ferrari: The stars aligned

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The seven-time world champion admits he has never been to Maranello, nor has he spoken Italian since his youth

Sir Lewis Hamilton spoke for the first time today about his planned move to Ferrari in 2025, and, more importantly, his change of heart after renewing his two-year deal with Mercedes just a few months ago.

Lewis Hamilton

“In the summer we signed and obviously I, at the time, saw my future with Mercedes. But an opportunity came up in the new year and I decided to take it,” he told the press in Bahrain.

“It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life after 26 years of Mercedes supporting me and we’ve had this absolutely incredible journey together. We’ve made history and it’s something I’m very proud of.

“But I think ultimately I’m writing my story and I felt it was time to start a new chapter.”

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What does Hamilton hope to achieve with Ferrari?
Although Fernando Alonso wryly underlined his surprise at Lewis’ change of allegiance from Mercedes ambassador to ‘Ferrarista’, Hamilton has been a fan of the Italian team since he was a boy.

“Of course, I think for all drivers growing up, looking at history, they see Michael Schumacher at his best…. Definitely, even as a kid, I used to play Michael in that car, so it’s definitely a dream and I’m very, very excited about it,” he continued.

“I think we probably all sit in our garage and see the screen come up and you see the driver in the red cockpit and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by red.

“You go to the Italian Grand Prix and you see the tifosi and it just blows you away.”

Lewis knows he is coming to try and break the 17-year championship drought that has plagued Maranello, but he is ready for the challenge.

“It’s a team that hasn’t had much success recently, since 2007, and I saw it as a big challenge. I’ve had a great relationship and communication with Fred Vasseur since we raced together in F3 and GP2, and I think this really wouldn’t have happened without him, so I’m very grateful and very excited about the work he’s doing there,” Hamilton concluded.

“When he joined Ferrari, I was happy for him and I think the stars aligned.”

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FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton issues new statement on ‘leap of faith’ move to Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton has posted on social media for the first time since his shock move to Ferrari from Mercedes was confirmed.

The 39-year-old is set to make a “leap of faith” and leave Mercedes after 11 years to begin what he called a “childhood dream” by racing for Ferrari.

RED BULL RING, AUSTRIA - JULY 02: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 F1 W14 prior to the F1 Grand Prix of

Two days after his announcement was confirmed, Hamilton took to his Twitter account to post a heartfelt message to Mercedes as well as describe his rationale behind departing.

Lewis Hamilton fulfils ‘childhood dream’ as Mercedes departure reasons given
Hamilton had not spoken since a statement given via Mercedes on Thursday but has now posted a longer message onto his personal Twitter account.

The seven-time World Champion described joining Ferrari as his dream and said he wanted to “start a new chapter in my life.”

“It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions,” he said.

“But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Ferrari in 2025.

Lewis Hamilton's first words as he explains decision to leave Mercedes team : PlanetF1

“I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfil another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red.”

Hamilton went on to thank Mercedes, in particular Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda, as they became the most successful driver-team partnership in F1 history.

“Mercedes has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 years old, so this decision has been the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” Hamilton, who has driven with Mercedes engines all his career, said.

“I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve achieved together and I’m very grateful for the hard work and dedication of everyone I have worked with over the years and of course Toto, for his friendship, guidance and leadership. Together we have won titles, broken records and become the most successful driver-team partnership in F1 history. And of course I cannot forget Niki who was a huge supporter and who I still miss everyday.

“I must also share my huge appreciation to the whole of the Mercedes-Benz board and everyone at the company in Germany and around the world for supporting me over these 26 years.

“But the time is right to make a change and take on a new challenge. I still remember the feeling of taking a leap of faith into the unknown when I first joined Mercedes in 2013. I know some people didn’t understand it at the time but I was right to make the move then and it’s the feeling I have again now. I’m excited to see what I can bring to this new opportunity and what we can do together.

Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes after 'amazing 11 years' and move to Ferrari | UK News | Sky News

“However, right now, I’m not thinking about 2025. My focus is on the upcoming season and getting back out on track with Mercedes.

“I am more driven than ever, I am fitter and more focussed than than ever and I want to help Mercedes win once again. I am 100% committed to the job I need to do and determined to end my partnership with the team on a high.

“Thank you to all of you who have been on this journey with me, you have all lifted me up as I chase my dreams and I hope I can continue to make you proud. As always, sending you my love and positive energy.”

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FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton set to move to Ferrari in bombshell switch, less than a year after he denied £40m talks

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Lewis Hamilton has shocked the sporting world by lining up a surprise switch from Mercedes to rivals Ferrari.

Mail Sport understands the seven-time world champion has secured a seat to drive for the Italian firm who have been reportedly offering him a £40million incentive to sign up for the 2025 season.

Hamilton's dream of racing for the Italian manufacturer appears on the brink of reality
Hamilton’s dream of racing for the Italian manufacturer appears on the brink of reality

Today’s development confirms Mail Sport’s world exclusive of last May that Ferrari were in talks with Hamilton – even though this was strenuously denied at the time.

Sir Lewis is currently on £50million-a-year at Mercedes, where he has won six of his seven world championships – and previously expressed his desire to remain with them for the rest of his time in the sport.

But Ferrari chiefs have stepped up their efforts to tempt him across, after Hamilton expressed frustration in recent seasons over under-performing by Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton is set to sign for Ferrari next year in a bombshell move from Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton is set to sign for Ferrari next year in a bombshell move from Mercedes

A source in Italy said today of those conversations in late spring: ‘They were pushing like mad.

That story of a potential move was denied by all parties last year, including Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.

But now the Italian press has stated Hamilton, 39, is wanted to replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz, whose contract negotiations ground to a standstill in December.

Hamilton is contracted to Mercedes until the end of 2025, a bind that requires some unpicking but not one that is not insuperable because of an ‘escape clause’.

Ferrari have tried persistently to get Hamilton to join them, including an offer last year

Driving for Ferrari has been an obsession nagging in Hamilton’s head all his career.

There have been flirtations between the two parties for a while, and he has driven red road cars off the forecourt of their Beverly Hills dealership, as well as visited the factory in Maranello.

Mail Sport understands that John Elkann, the company president, has led the initiative to bring in Hamilton for what, if the move materializes, would likely be the last chapter of a glittering career.

Elkann is attracted by Hamilton’s superstar status as the only Formula One driver with truly transcendent fame across the world.

Nothing would cap his successes than winning an eighth title at Ferrari – a milestone that eluded even the great Michael Schumacher, the team’s most decorated champion.

Hamilton shares a joke with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in Azerbaijan last year
Hamilton shares a joke with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in Azerbaijan last year

Hamilton won six of his world titles with Mercedes in the space of seven years between 2014 and 20.

However, the team have since fallen off the pace and Hamilton has not won a race since narrowly missing out on a record eighth world championship in 2021.

Hamilton began his Formula One career with McLaren and won his first world title with them in 2008 before switching to Mercedes in 2013.

In terms of race wins, he is the most successful driver in the sport’s history with 103 – 12 ahead of Schumacher, with whom he shares the record for the most world titles.

Fred Vasseur, pictured here with Lewis Hamilton at Monte Carlo in Monaco in May 2006, last year denied a potential Ferrari move for the British driver
Fred Vasseur, pictured here with Lewis Hamilton at Monte Carlo in Monaco in May 2006, last year denied a potential Ferrari move for the British driver

Sky Sports’ F1 lead commentator David Croft tweeted in response to today’s reports: ‘Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari! Always thought it would happen one day, finally it will and it seems as early as 2025.

‘Seismic move just as it was when Lewis joined Mercedes and like then I don’t see the negatives.

‘But wow, undoubtedly the biggest transfer on transfer deadline day!’

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FORMULA 1

Former Mercedes ace deals brutal Lewis Hamilton blow in Max Verstappen ‘sbox statement

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Max Verstappen has dominated F1 over the past two seasons while Mercedes have been forced to settle for scraps.

Former Mercedes CEO Nick Fry believes that Max Verstappen could beat the rest of the field – including seven-time world champion and former title rival Lewis Hamilton – in equal machinery and that he would still win, even if he was driving a ‘s**tbox’.

F1 Grand Prix of Italy - Previews
Max Verstappen has been the man to beat in F1 over the past two seasons

Verstappen and Hamilton shared one of F1’s greatest title battles in 2021 with the World Championship going down to the final lap of the final race in Abu Dhabi. However, rather than enjoying another close fight the following year, Red Bull enjoyed a major performance gain on Mercedes, leaving the two rivals some distance apart.

Instead, Verstappen was left fighting Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before Red Bull’s impressive development trajectory left the Scuderia in the dust and he claimed a second successive title. The 26-year-old then proceeded to take things up another notch in 2023, winning 19 out of a possible 22 Grands Prix as he broke record after record.

Speaking to OLBG, Fry said: “Johnny Herbert’s idea of having a one-off race where everybody drives the same car would be a good one if it was practical! Those kinds of ideas have been toyed with in the past, but the issues lie in the sponsorships, which are so closely tied to drivers and cars. That’s where it gets difficult.

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Practice
Lewis Hamilton still holds hopes that he can win an eighth World Championship

“Unfortunately, I would have to say that Verstappen is showing that he is the best driver at the moment, and I don’t think it would matter much. It could even play into his hands because he’s shown he’s good enough to be very adaptable and would probably drive any of the cars better than his competitors.

“I heard someone say once ‘If you can drive, you can drive anything’. I don’t think it would matter if you put Max in a s***box or a Red Bull car, he’d probably still beat the rest of them. He’s very adaptable. I don’t think it would change much, sadly.”

Lewis Hamilton's simple criteria for continuing Formula 1 career revealed : PlanetF1

This prediction will be treated as nothing less than an insult by Hamilton, who still believes he has what it takes to fight the three-time world champion for F1’s greatest honor, provided Mercedes can produce the required machinery to compete with Red Bull.

The Silver Arrows are undergoing a major shift in design philosophy this winter as they look to claw back ground in the development race, but it is a tall order to produce a car worthy of beating a Red Bull team that finished with over double Mercedes’ 409-point tally in 2023.

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FORMULA 1

Sir Lewis Hamilton confident Red Bull will be nervous about big change

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Mercedes driver isn’t ruling out a revival for the 2024 Formula 1 season

After two nightmare Formula 1 seasons, Sir Lewis Hamilton is confident that better things will come for Mercedes in 2024 and that they will be a step closer to the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

In an interview with GP Racing, the British driver sees it viable to recover and get closer to the level shown by the Austrian team, who are defending double constructors’ champions.

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“It’s not going to be that easy, but you have to try and take the good bits and, through trial and error, try and add other bits to improve,” Hamilton told GP Racing.

Why is Hamilton so confident about a recovery?
Given that, the seven-time Formula 1 champion is confident the Milton Keynes outfit will make a mistake in the development of the RB20 in a pursuit of perfection.

“You can imagine Red Bull are also nervous about making too big a change and it being the wrong one,” he added.

“So, we need to be week in and week out close, add better performance and make our targets higher than ever because we have a huge gap to reach. That makes it really tricky.”

The pressure on Mercedes
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton is aware that there is no margin for error at the Brackley factory to best develop the W15.

“There is a huge amount of pressure,” he concluded.

“Ultimately, as boss, Toto Wolff has to start leaning more on people rather than going in reverse gear.

“How do you do that? Of course, it’s not easy, as people break at a certain point. So, the role he always does is to keep everyone motivated.”

It should be remembered that Lewis Hamilton is living a long drought of Formula 1 victories, the last one being at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; while last season, his best result were three second places in Australia, Spain and Mexico.

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FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton pace claim made by Mercedes team-mate George Russell

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While George Russell wants to be ahead of Lewis Hamilton, he believes he matched “the greatest of all time” for pace in F1 2023 and so must take the positives from that.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton

Russell has now spent two seasons as Mercedes team-mate to seven-time World Champion Hamilton, though the second campaign did not go nearly as well as the first.

Having scored Mercedes’ only win of 2022 in Brazil, Russell ended his first season with the Silver Arrows ahead of Hamilton in the standings, but that swung for F1 2023 to produce a comfortable defeat for Russell against his iconic team-mate.

George Russell matching Lewis Hamilton pace
Russell reflected on his F1 2023 campaign as one of the strangest of his career where the results just did not come together, only two podium finishes achieved across the season.

F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Ducks Out Of Latest 2023 Drivers Vote - F1 Briefings: Formula 1 News, Rumors, Standings and More

However, Russell places his outright pace on a par with Hamilton’s and while he does not want to settle for this, he admits he needs to be “realistic” and see the achievement in simply being a match for Hamilton, who has a record 103 grand prix wins to his name.

“I’ve been on Lewis’ level, on average, throughout this year,” said Russell in an interview with the Telegraph.

“And I’m not satisfied with just being on his level. I want to be ahead of him. But I’ve also got to be realistic.

“I’m going up against the greatest driver of all time. He’s definitely not a bad benchmark. And, you know, I think qualy statistics, if you include sprint races, we’re exactly the same. And pace-wise, we’re generally the same as well.

Lewis Hamilton accuses George Russell of 'dangerous' driving after Spanish Grand Prix collision | The Independent

“So there are positives. And to be honest I’d prefer to be sat here without the results, but with the pace. Rather than saying ‘Oh, we lucked into a result here or we lucked into a result there’ when actually I was a tenth or two off the pace.”

George Russell is not feeling the pressure
Russell could potentially have added a second win to his F1 CV at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, but his ambitions were met with disaster while harrying leader Carlos Sainz for the victory as he crashed out in the closing stages.

Singapore was his “lowest point of the season”, though Russell denied the suggestion that he was suffering second-season syndrome and crumbling under the pressure in a underwhelming second Mercedes season alongside Hamilton.

F1 News: Lewis Hamilton "Working In The Background" On Major Project Ahead Of Retirement - F1 Briefings: Formula 1 News, Rumors, Standings and More

“There have been a few small incidents,” he said. “Nothing major, but they happened.

“They haven’t happened in previous years. I need to try to understand why that is.

“It’s not pressure. I don’t care if I have the greatest driver of all time in the garage next to me, or if I’m a one-man team. It doesn’t change the way I approach my job. There’s definitely been no additional pressure.”

Both Hamilton and Russell signed new Mercedes contracts during the F1 2023 campaign, keeping them with the team until the end of 2025.

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