Is Hamilton Finding ‘Excuses’ for His Struggles?

Hamilton admits struggles but is accused of making excuses. Does he really face unique challenges, or is it poor adaptation?

Luca Baldisseri, Michael Schumacher’s former race engineer at Ferrari, believes Lewis Hamilton is using “excuses” for his struggles to adapt to his new team. The seven-time world champion has openly acknowledged the need for improvement, but has also made specific technical comments about his adjustment process, particularly regarding the braking materials he’s getting used to.

“I don’t believe some of the things he’s saying,” Baldisseri told Formula Critica. Baldisseri, who worked as Schumacher’s race engineer in the early 2000s before becoming chief track engineer, added: “What he said about engine braking sounds like an excuse.”

“Hamilton has seen that the car is what it is and that his teammate is able to push it to the limit more than he can. At that point, it’s inevitable that he’ll be criticized. So, he justifies himself by saying, ‘I can’t adapt to this braking management.'”

Baldisseri, who is no longer with Ferrari, also believes the Maranello team should take some responsibility. “When a driver of Hamilton’s caliber switches teams, it’s clear that the new team will try to understand what the driver had at his disposal in the previous team,” he explained.

“When Michael joined us in 1996, we asked him about his driving style and how he envisioned the car. In Hamilton’s case, I’m not sure if that was done, but it doesn’t seem like it was. If a driver says after four races that he can’t adapt to a car, you inevitably have to ask what they’ve done to help him.”

At 62, Baldisseri points out another issue – the relationship between Hamilton and his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami. “There’s still no real chemistry between them, and that’s a big burden for Adami, because it won’t be easy. Toto Wolff recently mentioned that the communication between Kimi Antonelli and ‘Bono’ is lightyears ahead of the communication between Hamilton and his own ‘Bono.'”

“Hamilton speaks in monosyllables, while Kimi talks like a raging river—he shares his feelings, the car’s behavior, and expresses what he needs, which gives the track engineer a much clearer picture of what’s going on.”

“With a driver who communicates in monosyllables like Lewis Hamilton, I imagine Adami is struggling to understand him. On the team radio, it often sounds like they’re not on the same wavelength—one says something, and the other hears something else.”

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari needs to step up its game. “I’m not really thinking about the championship right now. It’s clear that as the races go by, we can’t afford to lose more points. We’ve already let too many slip away earlier in the season. We really need to react, although we’ve already started doing so.”

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Is Hamilton Finding ‘Excuses’ for His Struggles? Is Hamilton Finding ‘Excuses’ for His Struggles?