Waiting for the big change
The new Formula 1 season has just begun, but in exactly one year, the first performances of Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel of a Ferrari will be analyzed. After an entire Formula 1 career spent driving Mercedes-powered single-seaters, the seven-time world champion will land in Maranello as the new teammate of Charles Leclerc for at least two years.
From Brackley to Maranello
A work environment completely different from what Lewis Hamilton has experienced in Woking with McLaren and in Brackley with his current Mercedes team. Many have already made their predictions about Lewis Hamilton’s next experience, with some seeing a resurgence at the age of 40 and others already foreseeing a failure. Finally, there are those who have wanted to offer valuable advice to the Mercedes driver, being of English nationality themselves and having worked for a long time in Maranello.
Lewis Hamilton’s contribution
We are talking about British automotive engineer Rob Smedley, who from 2006 to 2013 was the track engineer for Felipe Massa in Ferrari. In addition to being sure that Lewis Hamilton will feel fully at ease in Maranello, the 50-year-old has suggested other actions to be taken, on and off the track: “I think Lewis will absolutely thrive in that environment – he explained in the Formula for Success podcast – okay, Red Bull is focused on 2024, but if you look at the gap from Ferrari, especially in the qualifying session in Bahrain, they are right there. Whether Lewis on a Ferrari today could beat Max Verstappen or not is another question, but he didn’t win seven world championships by chance. He managed because he is one of the all-time greats. I believe someone like Lewis can give Ferrari that extra one or two percent: that’s all they need.” – he pointed out.
Additional elements to become a legend
Beyond what Lewis Hamilton can bring to the Italian side, Rob Smedley also added more advice: “He has a duty, to himself and to Ferrari, to integrate as much as possible into the community – he continued – if he learns to speak a bit of Italian, they will adore him for it, but whatever he puts in, if he gives it 100%, he’ll get 100% out of it.” – concluded Rob Smedley, who currently works for the Formula One Group after several years working within the Williams, Ferrari and Jordan Formula One teams.
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