Did Lewis Hamilton make a mistake signing with Ferrari?. Lewis Hamilton's start at Ferrari has raised doubts about his decision to switch teams.

According to many, Lewis Hamilton may have made a mistake by signing with Ferrari, risking burning the final years of his F1 career.

Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari remains a widely discussed topic, ever since February 1, 2024—the day his move was announced. The hype that followed his signing with the most prestigious team on the grid has slowly faded, in parallel with the performance of the red car. Many opinions have emerged about the British driver. Some claim the real goal is actually 2026. Others criticize Ferrari for signing a 40-year-old driver nearing the end of his career. And now, there are even those who argue that it was Hamilton himself who made the wrong choice in picking Ferrari as the next chapter in his F1 journey.

Lewis Hamilton’s first part of the season
For some, the mistake was Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari. For former F1 driver David Coulthard, the hopes of a “Last Dance” to win the eighth title are very slim at Ferrari. For F1 steward Derek Warwick, Lewis Hamilton might even need to consider early retirement, given the difficulty he’s had adapting to Maranello. The season is still long, but it’s clear that the Briton’s adventure with the Scuderia hasn’t started in the best way.

In the first nine races, Lewis Hamilton has collected 71 points and sits in sixth place. Not far off the averages he had with Mercedes in the past three years, but certainly more disappointing than expected at the beginning of the year. He has claimed just one win, in the Chinese GP Sprint, and has faced numerous struggles adapting and finding feeling with the car. Clearly, a car that isn’t competitive enough doesn’t help the seven-time world champion find confidence, nail the setup, or at least fight for podiums. Expectations are higher for him, and the fact that Charles Leclerc is clearly the top-performing Ferrari driver doesn’t help. Adding to all this are communication issues with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, creating what seems to be a downward spiral. We’ll see if Montreal can be a turning point for his season.