As Mercedes F1 faces unprecedented challenges, the team teeters on disaster, signaling a deep crisis. Lewis Hamilton contemplates a bold move to Ferrari, reflecting deep unrest within Mercedes’ ranks.
Aside from Mercedes’ crisis, another pressing issue emerges: Did Ferrari make the right decision not to renew Carlos Sainz’s contract and instead bring in Hamilton? This awkward question was posed to Fred Vasseur.
Vasseur bristled when asked whether choosing Lewis Hamilton over Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond was a mistake.
“You ask us the same question every weekend,” the Ferrari boss stated last weekend at Suzuka.
“Just copy and paste my answer from last week.”
“Next question?”
However, Hamilton, a seven-time world champion – now regularly struggling to match the pace of George Russell at Mercedes – is clearly already envisioning his life in red.
In Japan, he mentioned he would soon start an “awkward conversation” with Toto Wolff about when he should begin his transition to Ferrari, especially being sidelined from future Mercedes F1 projects.
“Lewis is clearly focusing on 2025 already, which shows a lack of confidence in his current team,” former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes.
“The fact that he is mentally already in another place clearly poses a serious issue.”
Hamilton let Russell overtake him voluntarily at Suzuka last Sunday, justified by damage to his car after a skirmish with Leclerc.
Post-race, Hamilton lashed out at a journalist who asked if Ferrari’s current form made him envious.
“Do you have better questions?” the Briton retorted before ending his post-race press conference and leaving after barely 26 seconds.
Mercedes dominated the previous regulatory era, but in Suzuka, Fernando Alonso admitted that a seat with the Silver Arrows wasn’t too “appealing.”
“I think Toto no longer knows what to say in his defense,” former F1 driver Christian Danner observed.
“When he said his drivers did well in Suzuka, I thought he had watched a different race.”
Mercedes’ Strategy Desperation Amidst F1 Crisis
Ralf Schumacher considers Mercedes’ attempt at hard tires after the first red flag “almost desperate.”
Danner agrees: “If I have a not-so-fast car, I might try a ridiculous strategy that could work if you’re really lucky. So, you see how desperate they are right now.”
“We are obviously witnessing a disaster. Not just from Hamilton’s perspective, where he’s driving himself mad getting nowhere with this car, but for the entire team.”
Mercedes F1 Crisis: Despair and Brink of Disaster. Mercedes F1 Crisis: Despair and Brink of Disaster
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