Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
According to a media report, 7-time Formula 1 World Driver's Champion, Lewis Hamilton will be moving to Ferrari for the 2025 season.
Although an official confirmation is yet to be announced, reports suggest that Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz Jr. next year and race alongside Charles Leclerc who recently signed a multi-year contract with the iconic Italian F1 team.
Lewis Hamilton's current contract with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team extends till the end of 2025. However, reports state he might stay only till the end of this year. He joined Mercedes back in 2013 and won 6 world driver's titles and 7 constructor's titles with the team. Having said that, his last win was in December 2021.
Reports state that an official announcement could be made soon.
Source:
SkySportsF1 Link to Team-BHP news
While this is still officially a rumor, what gets my goat (if this is true) is why the inferior treatment to Carlos Sainz as compared to the 5-star treatment for Leclarc? The difference is not that much going by last year
2023 Points Tally:
Leclerc: 206 points
Sainz: 200 points
# of Poles: (not counting sprints)
Leclerc: 5
Sainz: 2
# of podium finishes: (not counting sprints)
Leclerc: 6 (2nd - 3, 3rd - 3)
Sainz: 3 (1st - 1, 3rd - 2)
I do hope this is just a rumor and gets cleared up fast. Ferrari haven't really been that dependable if one looks historically. I'd bet my chips on Mercedes to pull up their socks much better than Ferrari.
This seems more like a done deal now than a rumour, with BBC and Autosport also reporting it.
Driving for the Scarlet Team is on every F1 driver's bucket list. (Even if they aren't doing well, as is the case now.)
While this may end up being a silly move for Hamilton, there will also be other factors at play. The fact that he's already achieved everything else there is to achieve in the sport, his age and wanting to tick this item off too, the rising George Russell at Merc...
Plus, these guys are Alphas, you don't get to even compete in F1 (let alone become a multiple world champion!) without complete and utter self-belief. He must believe that he can do for Ferrari what Schumi did for them once. (That might not prove to be the case- Schumi also had Todt and Brawn, but he might believe he can swing it.)
It may be good news for Fans, but for Ferrari it will tough to handle both.
Already Ferrari were tumbling with their Race strategies and surely it will be tough to handle Leclerc and Hamilton side by side.
It should not be repeating of Alonso-Hamilton Pairing way back in McLaren-2007.
It's not just regular car enthusiasts like us who dream about a blood red Ferrari in our garage; clearly, even the best & biggest drivers in the world are smitten. But will Hamilton succeed even where the mighty Alonso failed? And Vettel.
IMHO, the team is way too disjointed and suffers a comedy of errors every season. Most seasons, they don't have the fastest car and even when they do, either the team or the drivers goof up. Ferrari's solution = to sack the top management whenever this happens.
Still, all said & done, Hamilton in a red car will be great for the sport and bring more spice. So, bring it on! Let's see what this mega champion can do.
In short, great time to be a psychologist/counselor in the UK to treat his fans. Nobody else knows how to screw up better than Ferrari and I can imagine Hamilton fans going berserk on social media.
As far as Hamilton is concerned, this is just the last step before retirement. Equivalent to become president before retiring in India.
If this happens, I wonder who would be the number one driver at Ferrari? Would it still be Leclerc or will Hamilton gets the priority?
It's really unfortunate for Sainz if this is true. There has been hardly anything between him and Leclerc. Hope he gets a better drive for the next season. maybe switch seats with Hamilton!
Every driver probably always dreams of being suited in red and I guess Ferrari really is the retirement home for F1 champions
Having been a Ferrari fan for the last 20 years ( and it’s extremely tough to be a Ferrari fan!), this news is an absolute shocker!
Until 2 weeks ago the grapevine was that Sainz wanted a 2 year contract whereas Ferrari wanted to give him just 1 year. I thought this was because Ferrari wanted to keep their options open and maybe get Norris. But this news was put to rest when Norris extended his Mclaren contract, so in a way I thought Sainz is still going to get what he wanted. However this news of Lewis joining Ferrari was out of the blue.
Senna, Schumacher, Lewis and Verstappen—These 4 guys are an elite bunch. They are drivers who have the raw pace, ability to do much more than the others. There is something raw and natural about the skill that these guys have. No denying that at all.
But currently Ferrari are far from a good team, they really havent had a decent season where they have consistently had an upward trajectory for a long time now. And pressure gets to them, the italian media and the worldwide expectations, too much to handle for the team already. And Lewis is not very diplomatic like Schumacher or Vettel. He isnt that difficult a personality like Alonso, but he is not easy, especially when things dont go his way. So how will Ferrari handle that? And how will Lewis handle the lack of consistency with Ferrari?
When Vettel came to Ferrari, he was so positive, he never let the team down anywhere, he was a very amiable personality, someone who was loved by the entire team, including his co-drivers! But even he couldn’t handle the pressure of being in a Ferrari and not winning, so much so that he lost that mojo and Ferrari eventually replaced him with Sainz.
Now, here’s where things get a bit intriguing. When Sainz came in, Ferrari mentioned that they need to re-build and they are not actually ready for championships and hence they could not have given Vettel a championship winning car. Truth is they wanted someone young, massively cheap in terms of driver salaries, some one who wouldn’t put unnecessary pressure on the team. Cause Ferrari knew they did not have a championship winning car.
What has changed now? Ferrari is still in the same place or even worse. They still do not pose a serious threat to Redbull, although Mercedes were slightly unpredictable last season, they seemed to have better race pace. Mclaren came from nowhere to have a fantastic second half in 2023, with so many podium finishes. Except for Singapore, Ferrari didn’t really make a strong case for themselves anywhere else.
And this begs the question, why take on Lewis now? When they have been one of the most inconsistent top teams off late, what good would it take to get Lewis?
Its also sad to see Sainz leave. He is a very tactful driver, but never as quick as Leclerc. He doesn’t have that raw speed. But he knows to make the best of some situations, and Ferrari might have perceived this as a weakness, that lack of killer instinct that you need to sustain a championship winning battle. However, the biggest question is, will Ferrari have a car that can take the fight to Redbull?
Until yesterday I was worried about Sainz getting the step motherly treatment from Ferrari.
Today it seems Ferrari wasn't the step mother but rather the Cheating Girlfriend who married your more attractive younger friend and then cheated on him with for the rich guy:D
Carlos will get a decent seat somewhere else....now I am worried about Leclercrl:. Must be an amazing feeling to have signed for long contract because of "LOYALTY" only to find out Ferrari has recruited Lewis Hamilton who famously doesn't work well with competitive teammates.
Anyway...all the best to Carlos. I hope he gets the Mercedes seat for now and that the car is a match atleast for the Ferrari ...
Mercedes engines make the least power after the switch to ethanol blend and engine freeze. Ferrari has the most power, it was able to match the Redbull in straight line speed without DRS. While the Redbull superior aero made the redbull cars faster with DRS.
Max was pulling way from Lewis despite Lewis having DRS and slip stream. Since there cannot be any more engine development for the next 2 years, I think Ferrar car is a better bet for Lewis. But not sure as a Team it will be able to fire on all cylinders.
Hamilton probably doesn’t see Mercedes getting back to the top in the next two years. For champions, it’s winner, or not winner.
Plus by now he’d be really doing his own thing on track. You have to think, if there’s a driver Ferrari can mess up the least, it’s probably him.
Take a spin in a Ferrari. Sure, why not? Get in there, Lewis.
Lewis for Ferrari in 2025 alongside Leclerc confirmed as per this
Link!
Guys what do you think , will Alonso approach Mercedes or is he completely embedded in the Aston Martin project.
I think in 2025, Leclerc will definitely have the advantage over 1 Lap but Lewis will be there over a race distance.
Also where does Sainz go now?! His market value has definitely gone up after that sensational win in Singapore and Audi seems to be interested in him , however its a gamble going for a sauber chassis that was mediocre last year.
This year is going to be very awkward at merc and ferrari rl:
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