Lewis Hamilton, the British driver for Mercedes AMG F1 W14, participated in the Formula 1 World Championship, specifically the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2023.
Former Formula 1 race winner Ralf Schumacher believes that if the Ferrari car were to be unstable, Charles Leclerc would have an advantage over Lewis Hamilton. Last week, Ferrari surprised everyone by announcing that Hamilton would be replacing Carlos Sainz and joining the team on a multi-year deal to partner with Leclerc. This upcoming driver line-up at Ferrari is expected to create an intriguing dynamic, as the seven-time champion goes head-to-head with Leclerc, who has been with Ferrari since 2016.
Schumacher cannot predict who will come out on top, but he believes that Leclerc’s preference for a responsive front end makes him better suited to handle a less compliant car. According to Schumacher, “When Hamilton is at Ferrari, he will try to be the team’s number one, but I think he will have to fight for it because Leclerc has been there for a long time. The most important thing is what the drivers want. Lewis needs a stable car, while Charles can drive an unstable car. It remains to be seen who will prevail.”
Schumacher also anticipates that the upcoming season will be challenging for both Ferrari and Mercedes, as drivers will be leaving at the end of this season. Despite Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s assurance that both drivers will be treated equally, Schumacher believes that the team will inevitably shift their focus towards George Russell. According to Schumacher, “2024 will be a very difficult year for Ferrari and Mercedes. On one hand, you have a driver who is supposed to be fighting for the World Championship, so you have to share everything with him. But only up to a certain point in the season, due to the development of the car. At Mercedes, without a doubt, they will focus more on supporting George Russell.”
Schumacher also understands Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes, as he believes that the team’s struggles in the past two years would have shaken Hamilton’s confidence in them. Since Formula 1’s return to ground effect aero in 2022, Hamilton has not added to his record total of 103 race wins, largely due to the difficulties faced by the Mercedes team in nailing down a car concept. Schumacher stated, “At first it seemed surprising to us, but it’s actually somewhat understandable. Lewis wants to win no matter what, and I think he has lost a bit of confidence in the Mercedes team in the last two years. Those two years were really difficult.”
According to the Source motorsportweek.com