Historic Ferrari figure highlights two key issues affecting Hamilton's season

Luigi Mazzola, a long-standing Ferrari figure who served as head of track engineering during Michael Schumacher’s golden era, has identified two possible issues linked to the difficult season Lewis Hamilton has faced so far.

The partnership between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, at least so far, has fallen short of the high expectations everyone had for what can already be considered one of the most iconic pairings in Formula 1 history.

After 14 Grands Prix, the seven-time world champion has yet to reach the podium, unlike his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has stood on the podium five times and even secured a pole position just last weekend in Hungary.

Lewis Hamilton in Hungary

Historic Ferrari figure pinpoints two Hamilton-related problems

But why is Hamilton struggling so much to adapt to a place like Maranello? Luigi Mazzola, a long-standing Ferrari figure from the ’90s and 2000s during Michael Schumacher’s golden era, has identified two main problems.

''He was hired by John Elkann, and clearly supported by Vasseur, because what was Ferrari missing? A world champion — to win a World Championship,'' he told news F1.

''So they brought him in, just as they did with Alonso, Sebastian, and others. A lot is expected from him. Evidently, he is going through a very complex situation on several fronts.''

''The first issue is that he’s realized it’s not like Mercedes — something doesn’t quite add up here, especially on the organizational level. So, it’s time to start dotting the i's and crossing the t’s, and the first reports and indications begin to emerge.''

''Perhaps he also senses a lack of trust, which comes through in conversations with engineers and radio communications. This could lead to a situation where he doesn’t fully trust the competence of the people around him.''

Being behind Leclerc is a problem for Hamilton

According to Mazzola, the second problem is that, although Hamilton wants to bring possible improvements in terms of the car and team dynamics, he suffers from frequently being behind his teammate.

''You can write all you want, but if you’re not ahead of your teammate, it doesn’t really matter. Why? Because the team thinks, “Listen, I appreciate everything you say, but that guy over there, with the current situation, he’s faster than you.”

''So, maybe it’s not just about the organization or technical expertise — there could be a factor related to you.''

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