Sportal.eu

Lewis Hamilton in crisis at Ferrari: Jacques Villeneuve ruthless about the reasons why

Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari experienced a nightmarish 2025, by far the worst season of his entire career. So many factors led to his difficulties at Maranello, and another Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve tried to interrogate himself on them. The Canadian sifted through the last months of the seven-time world champion, pointing out how different were for him environmentally and otherwise the last rainbow races experienced in his years at Mercedes, which saw him win all the drivers’ championships between 2014 and 2020 with the sole exception of 2016. And with a common thread.

Marco Enzo VenturiniFerrari, Lewis Hamilton admits he just didn’t see it coming: photos

Lewis Hamilton gave a long interview to Ferrari Magazine.
"I am currently in a different phase of my life: I am 40 years old, while the first time I sat behind the wheel of a single-seater I was 21".
"If we consider my background and the fact that I went from watching Formula 1 on TV, with the dream of competing at the highest level, to getting into an F1 car surrounded by all the staff, the mechanics, the machinery and everything else, finally lowering myself into the cockpit of a Ferrari 20 years later was much more exciting".
"When I was 21 it was all “exhilarating” more than exciting, because everything inside me was in turmoil. But when you get into a Ferrari, it’s love at first sight. You create a completely different bond.”
"Red is one of my favorite colors. Ferrari is history and everything the Brand stands for. The cars are masterpieces".
"And then there’s the language, the culture, the food of Italy, the way people show enthusiasm for everything".
"Although other cultures and people from all walks of life have entered over the years, the heart of Ferrari remains Italian".
"I never thought I would one day be part of all this".

"To tell you the truth, at first I was worried about cultural differences, but as soon as I arrived I was greeted by a great open-mindedness".
"At the end of the day we are all human beings. Once we weave a bond, everything else fades into the background.”
"It’s a lifetime that I’ve been in F1, but when I came to this team I was faced with a scenario once again different".
"That’s why I don’t blame people who don’t know what it means. The only thing I can do is to keep focusing on the things I can control".
"That is, how I prepare and how I work with the team, how I show up here every day and keep a positive attitude.”

“So many times Hamilton became world champion by having the chance to fight only with his teammates – Villeneuve pointed out to the podcast ‘High Performance’ -On several occasions there wasn&#8217t even a battle. He only had to struggle against Nico Rosberg, and on one occasion he even lost. In Ferrari, on the other hand, he has to fight again, but I have the impression that he has gotten used to racing too easily. I feel like he has slowed down a bit’but getting a diesel going again is quite a feat. And when for years you&#8217ve gotten the idea that you&#8217re untouchable, you inevitably slow down the revs”.

“Hamilton won several championships that were not at all difficult to win – continued Villeneuve -. In those years Mercedes had too much of an advantage over the competition. Even, when times happened when it struggled the most, they could simply increase the engine power and came back to dominate. Lewis had everything at his fingertips, because only that team had a chance to aspire to the title. Anyone could have won, any driver on the grid would have taken the world championship with a car like that”. A dominance challenged concretely only by Max Verstappen and his Red Bull in 2021, in a rainbow race that ultimately rewarded the Dutchman.

In Ferrari, however, there is total awareness about the difficulties Hamilton has faced in his first season in Red. And on his side is openly team principal Frederic Vasseur, who recently told ‘Sky Sport’: “Now Lewis knows the team and we know him much better than a year ago. He has a good knowledge of every single software and every tool. We will do a better job next year”.

In short, we are starting from scratch, with the knowledge that we have run out of credit in the fronts of Ferrari fans: “This season has been difficult. It has been for Lewis, for Charles, for the whole team, for myself but also for the Fans. And their support has always been enormous”, Vasseur’s summation.

Tags:

You may also like...