Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari mirrors Schumacher’s bold 2010 move, leaving Coulthard and fans stunned by this seismic shift.
David Coulthard expects to be surprised to see Lewis Hamilton wearing Ferrari colors next year after 12 years with Mercedes F1. The former driver recalls experiencing something similar when Michael Schumacher joined Mercedes after 11 seasons with the Scuderia.
“Mercedes is no longer part of Lewis Hamilton’s world, and Lewis Hamilton has made it clear he is no longer part of Mercedes’ world. Similarly, when Michael came out of retirement to sign with Mercedes, it was truly shocking to imagine him as anything other than a Ferrari legend,” Coulthard recalls.
“But the allure of returning with Mercedes, the desire, and belief that he could still compete, brought him back. He did a few seasons, performed well, but it wasn’t the same as his first stint in Formula 1.”
“Lewis is rolling the dice again with Ferrari. This could lead to a rejuvenation of his performance and a fight for the world championship. But it will be a challenge, as he’ll have to beat a very quick Charles Leclerc.”
The Scotsman questions Hamilton’s ability to take on a peak-performing Charles Leclerc: “The key ingredient of all great champions throughout history has been the ability to qualify and race. And if Lewis, at 40, has lost a step in terms of pace, he might struggle to beat Charles over a season.”
“It’s a legitimate question everyone should be asking, but it’s up to him to prove us wrong. It’s not about putting him down or saying he can’t do it, because it’s in his hands. All these men have the opportunity to shape their own future.”
Jacques Villeneuve believes the seven-time world champion must rebuild an environment of trust, like the one he had during his dominant years at Mercedes: “When you make a big change, you start from scratch, as Lewis Hamilton is doing.”
“This means you don’t rely on your former engineer, like Bono, or your physiotherapist, like Angela Cullen. He won with McLaren, he won with Mercedes. So there’s no issue.”
“I have no idea how Angela and Lewis worked together. But it was a close relationship with Bono. As far as I’m concerned, the driver has always leaned on their engineer, who is the closest person to them during a race weekend.”
“The engineer has always been the one the driver could rely on, and that’s where trust is built. The physiotherapist is part of that small group of people the driver can depend on. But Angela was already gone anyway. Did he suffer from that at Mercedes? Nobody knows.”
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Coulthard Stunned: Hamilton to Don Ferrari Red in 2025 Coulthard Stunned: Hamilton to Don Ferrari Red in 2025
