F1 star raves about Ferrari
Hamilton “always played Schumacher” as a child
February 23, 2024, 6:04 p.m
Lewis Hamilton speaks in detail about Ferrari for the first time and goes into raptures. The Formula 1 record world champion was particularly fond of “this sea of red” when he played with Michael Schumacher on his home computer. It could be an interesting final Mercedes season.
The silver star on the chest didn’t fit the picture particularly well. Lewis Hamilton was sitting in the paddock in Bahrain, in a Mercedes outfit of course, but he was finally supposed to talk about Ferrari – and he was very happy to do so. As a child, he “always played Michael Schumacher” on the computer, in the red car, of course, Hamilton remembered: Because this racing team, “this history” is something very big for every racing driver.
This sensation has been official for three weeks now; the record world champion will drive for Ferrari from 2025. Hamilton just hadn’t spoken about it publicly yet – that changed on Friday during the Formula 1 test drives in Bahrain. And it brought a little foreshadowing that this season could really get a little strange.
“Each of us,” Hamilton continued, “growing up wondered what it was like to sit in the red garage, to come to the Grand Prix in Italy, to see the tifosi, this sea of red. There you can only stand in awe.”
Leave Schumacher behind in the Mercedes?
The Englishman is very excited and he doesn’t hide it. He probably noticed this himself at some point, and Hamilton then tried to make something clear: This chapter at Mercedes is also “not over yet. I’m still 100 percent there, we want to end on a high note.”
However, this could at least be complicated in various respects. Hamilton will be the future Ferrari driver throughout 2024, his opinion on what is happening at the Scuderia will be asked publicly, and the racing team’s successes and failures should always be evaluated with a view to Hamilton’s future. In this mixed situation, Hamilton will have to do his work at Mercedes.
And the processes at the Silver Arrows could also become more difficult as the year progresses. Max Verstappen, world champion and top favorite for Red Bull, had already discovered this recently. “When you announce something so big so early, the rest of the year will definitely be a bit unpleasant,” said the Dutchman. Hamilton may soon no longer be privy to all internal affairs because he would otherwise take knowledge with him to the competition. “Lewis certainly has a great relationship with everyone there,” said Verstappen. At a certain point, Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff “will tell him: ‘I’m sorry, you can no longer take part in certain meetings.'”
Hamilton starts the season with seven world championship titles, tied with Michael Schumacher. It seems unlikely at the moment that he can still win number eight in the Mercedes. “We see Red Bull from a distance,” he said during testing. The record victory in the red car, in Schumacher’s colors, would undoubtedly be a big thing. “I’m still writing my story,” said Hamilton, “and I felt like it was time for a new chapter.”