Lewis Hamilton has shocked the F1 world with his latest admission. F1 has always been extremely data focused. Every single aspect about the car and driver is constantly monitored and discussed. What the Ferrari data has revealed about Hamilton’s tendencies is very shocking indeed. According to the data from the first few races this season, Lewis Hamilton seems to have had the world at his fingertips when he was at Mercedes. Now that he’s made the switch to Ferrari, he seems to have butterfingers instead, and a lead foot.
What has been Ferrari’s performance the past few years?
The world will not soon forget the images of the red Ferrari being driven around the world’s racing tracks by a certain German driver. Since then, the iconic Italian manufacturer has struggled to replicate that success in F1. The 90’s saw huge success in F1 and they became even more of a powerhouse in the automotive world with their supercars setting records on the roads as well.
Since the departure of the German, the Ferrari F1 team has struggled. The 2000’s saw their last real successful season with Kimi Räikkönen winning the drivers championship in 2008. Since then the team has experimented with a few drivers and never really found one that fit. They were always just some how off the top spot and behind the championship leaders.
Ironically, for the last decade or so that has been Hamilton and Mercedes. That was almost certainly the main factor in the move. The signing of Hamilton took place over a long period of time. With the driver looking to maintain the utmost respect for both parties. A respectful decision. However, we must consider the possibility that Hamilton and Ferrari over-estimated the ease of the transition.
Why is Hamilton not performing as expected for Ferrari this season?
The transition was always going to be a challenge. For a driver of Lewis Hamilton’s stature and Ferrari’s legendary high expectations, the transition has not gone as expected. His performance in the Ferrari has been lacking, finishing consistently behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc. So the problem seems to be deeper, and now Hamilton has revealed something that may be the answer to his misfortunes.
The problem that has been revealed from the Ferrari data is that Hamilton seems to be slower in the corners than his teammate. He also seems to be rougher on the brakes, while Leclerc has a more gentle touch. Seeing as though Hamilton made the statement himself, the two drivers were no doubt sat down by the Ferrari engineers and shown the data.
Hamilton has admitted to his struggles and thinks they will continue this year. Not a promising statement at such an early stage in the season. The F1 has added some new locations for this year and the Ferrari cars have been far off the pace at the top. Ferrari have some history and they are not the kind of team to accept poor performances or attitudes for that matter.
Can Ferrari and Hamilton make a comeback this season?
The F1 world is evolving and the new regulations have leveled the playing field once again. With the engine unit producers forced to adapt their engines, the teams have all new cars that react differently than before. Hamilton was always going to need to time to adapt and adjust to Ferrari. The understanding has always been that Ferrari does not adapt to suit the driver, the driver adapts to suit them. And Hamilton is struggling to adapt after the (some say) cushioned world that he lived in at Mercedes. Whether they can make a comeback remains to be seen, there is still time.
