Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, hoping to secure his eighth world championship, an all-time record in F1. This eighth title would allow him to surpass Michael Schumacher, who, for David Coulthard, serves as an example of how things don’t always go as planned.
The “Kaiser,” who came out of retirement to sign with Mercedes for three years, did not have the career conclusion he expected. During his three years with the silver team, Schumacher failed to win even a single GP.
David Coulthard drew this comparison in an interview with the *Daily Mirror*.
“Mercedes doesn’t exist solely for Lewis Hamilton, and Lewis Hamilton wants to prove that he doesn’t exist solely because of Mercedes. Similarly, when Michael came out of retirement to sign with Mercedes, it was shocking to imagine him as anything other than a Ferrari driver. In his case, the allure of returning to the track, doing it at home with Mercedes, and the desire and belief that he could still succeed convinced him. He spent a couple of years there, performed well, but it was nowhere near comparable to his peak.” – the British former racing driver and broadcaster pointed out.
The former F1 driver continued: “Lewis is taking another risk with Ferrari. It could very well lead to a rejuvenation of his performance and a fight for the championship. But it will be challenging; he’ll have to beat a very fast Leclerc.”
The new Ferrari pairing of Hamilton and Leclerc is, on paper, a dream team. However, David Coulthard fears that Hamilton might not manage to outperform his new teammate, just as he couldn’t outqualify George Russell in the recently concluded season.
“The key ingredient for all the greats in history has been their qualifying ability, even before racing,” says David Coulthard. “And if Lewis, at 40, has lost a fraction of pace in football terms, then he might struggle to beat Charles Leclerc over the course of a year. It’s a legitimate concern that anyone would have, but it’s up to him to prove us wrong. It’s not about underestimating him or saying he can’t do it, because, in the end, it’s all in his hands. All these guys have the ability to shape their own future.”
The anticipation for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari is growing, but predictions are already underway.
