A well-known British journalist has delivered a very harsh verdict on the way Ferrari has treated Lewis Hamilton and other champions before him.
Lewis Hamilton has certainly not impressed during his first season in red. However, the most severe criticism from Mark Hughes, a respected British Formula 1 journalist, is directed not at the seven-time world champion, but at Ferrari itself. According to Mark Hughes, the Scuderia has long shown an unwillingness to listen to constructive criticism from its own drivers, a mindset that continues to prevent the team from returning to consistent success at the highest level.
Writing in an article for The Race, Mark Hughes explained in detail everything that, in his view, does not work at Maranello. These structural and cultural issues, he argues, have placed Lewis Hamilton — just like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel before him — in a position where it is virtually impossible to change anything within what he describes as an immovable system at the Italian team.
The precedents of Alonso and Vettel
“Fernando Alonso arrived in Maranello without any real protection from senior management to impose the changes he believed were necessary,” Mark Hughes said. “Sebastian Vettel followed him a few years later, but in his case, every potential lever of power was taken away even before he began, with the removal of those who had wanted him and supported him.”
Today, according to Mark Hughes’ analysis, Lewis Hamilton is experiencing a surprisingly similar dynamic. In Lewis Hamilton’s case, however, the situation is made even more difficult by an evident lack of on-track performance, as well as by the inevitable comparison with Charles Leclerc, whom Hughes describes as “an all-time great who has never had the car to truly prove it.”
The perfect formula missing in Maranello
After this significant compliment, the British journalist also acknowledged what he sees as a “shortcoming” on the part of the Monegasque driver. “Leclerc is a direct product of the Ferrari academy and is therefore inevitably dependent on the structure that launched him. But Ferrari has never — and I mean never — achieved lasting success with dependent drivers,” Hughes said.
“Ferrari’s potential is only truly expressed when a brilliant, stubborn and dominant driver is simultaneously the leader and the inspiration of the team.”
“Hamilton, like Alonso and Vettel before him, arrived at Ferrari without the support structure that had instead made Michael Schumacher all-powerful. He saw the limits of an enormous potential and tried to push beyond them. Like them, he encountered resistance and antipathy.”
Mark Hughes concluded by confirming that this attitude within the Scuderia is the same factor that continues to prevent Ferrari from returning to winning ways. “The result is a Ferrari that does not want its limits explained to it and that struggles to accept strong, transformative leadership. History suggests, however, that without that uncomfortable and dominant figure, direction is lost. And with it, the real possibility of returning to the very top,” he concluded.
Ultimately, the friction described by Hughes highlights the immense pressure currently weighing on Maranello. As the team navigates this era of high-profile transitions, the question remains whether they can evolve beyond these historical patterns or if the weight of tradition will continue to stifle the very progress their world-class drivers are desperate to initiate. For fans and insiders alike, the coming seasons will be the definitive test of whether Ferrari is ready to listen to its legends or if it will remain trapped in a cycle of missed opportunities.
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