George Russell has predicted “we will see more of that magic” from Lewis Hamilton when he finally finds his groove at Ferrari. So far, his high-profile switch to the Italian team has yielded little success.
In just his second race with the team, Hamilton won the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix. That result naturally raised expectations but Ferrari were brought crashing down to earth just one day later when both he and team-mate Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the main event in Shanghai.
Hamilton’s results other than that sprint win have been forgettable. The 40-year-old admits there is still a long way to go before he is comfortable in Ferrari machinery while there has also been something of a culture shock for the Brit as he adapts to life surrounded by new colleagues, most of them Italian.
But his former team-mate Russell still believes there are far better things to come from the seven-time Formula 1 champion. “After Fernando [Alonso] he’s the most experienced driver on the grid,” the Mercedes driver said.
“He’s a seven-time World champion, and he’s an incredible person and racing driver. We saw it in China, second race of the season, on pole in the sprint, wins the race comfortably.
“I know what he’s capable of, and it’s not easy going into a new team and the competition is tough. But he’s an amazing driver and I’m sure, when things start to click, as they did in China, we’ll see more of that magic.”
Hamilton’s poor results have been exacerbated by some Ferrari operational errors and a general lack of pace in their car. Leclerc, who has been involved with the Italian team for many years, has only seven points more than Hamilton’s total of 25 heading into this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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The Brit insists he is not fazed, though, amid the talk of “crisis” surrounding F1’s most famous marque right now. “On one side it’s to be expected – it’s the greatest team in Formula 1 history, it’s that special,” he said.
“Of course there’s more stories that are written about it and people have opinions. And it’s not always been smooth sailing. So, just from my perspective, you can’t work with a team and change things overnight.”
Team principal Frederic Vasseur acknowledged there is improvement to be made on both sides as he assessed Hamilton’s start to life with Ferrari. He said: “You won’t replace 12 years of collaboration in two weeks or in two races. For sure, we need to improve – but I think this is true for everybody in the team, in the paddock.
“It’s good to have Lewis with this mindset to say, ‘Okay, I have to improve also myself and to adapt myself to the car.’ We will work on the car to adapt the car to Lewis, but he also has to do a step. And I think this, between us, is done in a positive way and a very constructive way.”
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