I never intended to start a substack, but I’ve been wanting a creative outlet for some time that my photography just can’t always fulfill. I’ve been waiting to opine on something fun since last year. But I wasn’t sure what that would be. This mornings absolute bombshell of a story leaked by someone about the departure of Lewis Hamilton at the end of the 2024 F1 season, is probably the biggest news since yesterday when Andretti was told off in probably the most ridiculous way possible. I’ll get to that later on in a different post. Maybe next week.
His history requires no refresher, although it sparks a sharp change in his intentions since he was a child racing karts. I think we can all probably agree that Ron helped Lewis in every way possible, much of which has been riddled with scandals and accusations since that fated weekend in Hungary in 2007. Love him or hate him, Lewis and his fans have always been a contentious part of this sport. All signs point to him leaving the German marque for the Scuderia .. and by the time of this posting, it will likely be confirmed, but why?
EDIT: It has been confirmed now, we will wait for the details of the contract, but likely will see Hamilton through his age 41 season.
It’s the goal for many drivers to wear the Rosso Corsa, and represent the brand with one of the most notable histories in all of motorsport. And moreover, it’s one of a romantic pull. None others are capable of generating the sexual tension that Ferrari can. To say you were a Ferrari Formula One driver has it’s own gravitas, and it’s one that follows you for the rest of your career. But to say you were a race winner, to make the bells ring in Maranello elevates you just that much more. To close out a championship for that brand? You’ll be seen as a god for eternity. Placed on a pedestal alongside those other 9 drivers. It’s obvious that Hamilton wants to be that guy, and I think that he can be.
We’ve seen many drivers go there with the hopes to recreate the magic that Ross Brawn, Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt were able to create. But does this find Lewis successful in an endeavor that many of his peers have been unable to be? Despite many of them having individual successes, Vettel and Alonso were unable to catch lightning in a bottle and close out a Constructors or Drivers Championship in the years since Michaels departure back to Mercedes. Raikkonen managed in 2007, but we will never know if Ferrari would have won that outright as McLaren was excluded with the “Spygate” controversy. Vettel was admittedly the closest eleven years later falling just shy of the Drivers Championship by 88 points. Of course, that season was dominated by the teams own mistakes, 7 of the 21 races that year were ended by Vettel. The SF71H had everything it needed to be the car that year. But the missteps by the driver, and an inability for the team to maintain their early season successes after the summer break. Some have said that was related to suspected performance gains with their hybrid systems which coincided with their decline. Since then, the team has gone through numerous team principals, administrative changes and a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
Can Lewis solve this puzzle?
Despite his time at Red Bull, Vettel just didn’t carry the passion necessary to Ferrari during his time there. Much like Max, he’s too stiff, too cold. too much of a perfectionist. But so is Red Bull. It’s how they operate, and I cannot fault them. When they’ve been able to exploit the car, the driver and strategy with such precision, it’s an annoyingly beautiful thing. But when that inflexibility is brought to a new team where that is not their style, it’s never going to work. Unless of course we see some drastic changes and a similar model to what made Ferrari so successful in the Schumacher days returns. Lewis is often able to adapt to bad cars far better than most on the grid. the last two years have found him with what he even described was a tough car at first sight of the W14. He was able to work very well with Toto and Mercedes as a whole and bring some results that might have been shocking to some. Given that the Scuderia will want results, a mediocre car might suit Hamilton better than we expect.
With all of this being said, most importantly, Vasseur was part of Hamiltons F2 successes. Certainly he’s confident in his former boss to help him pull through.
“I knew that we weren’t in the right place when you saw the car for the first time, it looked still so much different to those of our competitors”
What about Wolff?
This is the greatest question in my mind when we learned of the expected departure at the close of the 2024 season. What happens with Toto? As an investor in the Mercedes team, and one who is arguably responsible for the continued success of Hamilton, could he go with to Ferrari?
I don’t think so. It’s all too obvious that Toto has aspirations to bring up another young talent much in the same way that Ron Dennis did with Lewis. Some have said that’s likely to be Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who has a very similar history and path that Sir Lewis has taken.
Updates: With the news of this being confirmed, the Mercedes Junior Driver may see action in F1 next year. Multiple outlets are now reporting on this as well. With his expected meteoric rise to continue into F2, skipping a season in F3 entirely, this makes sense. Bearman is another name to look out for, perhaps George Russell is on the hotseat if his performance doesn’t pick up.
This feels very much like a clean separation for both Lewis and Toto, and one that feels necessary for the driver and the next generation of Mercedes. I don’t think this should be seen as a negative view on either party though. Hamilton has always been at the top of his class act in terms of public relationships even when things have not always gone to plan, and I will expect nothing less going forwards. Sometimes in many aspects, it’s far better to change your scenery before it’s a view you don’t like to look at anymore.
Where does this go wrong?
Complicated question really. I think the answer to this is, where does it go right?
Hamilton will no doubt be very critical of Ferrari and the direction they choose to go with their cars and their designs. Many before him have done the same with varied success. Ferrari has no choice but to go all in. Coming out of the gate in 2025, the car will have to be near perfect. Given that Lewis’ contract ends when the checkered flag falls in Abu Dhabi in December, that will leave about 11-12 weeks for Lewis to get integrated with Ferrari, his new car and their offseason testing program. Which will then find them heading off to what is likely to be Bahrain just a few weeks later.
The work that will need to be done in that period of time will be immense. If the Scuderia can get it right from the start, or even close, there is no reason that Hamilton could not come close to another championship.
Seemingly Vasseur has righted the ship in some areas where they’ve struggled for a number of years. At the close of the 2023 campaign the team was able to pull together a number of poles, one race win in Singapore with another nearly cliched in Las Vegas. Coming into year two as the head of the program, he’s looking to have continued success and take the next step, without this, I have strong concerns that it doesn’t get better even with the addition of a generational talent. Should this come to bear, we will see another driver who failed to make their time in red successful.
Goodbye Carlos.
With the news of today, the known contract end, and no talks of extension. It’s over for the most recent race winner for Ferrari.
Admittedly, I’m sad. I like Carlos. I think that he could always be the on track talent that is capable of taking it to anyone, on any weekend when the car is right. And 2023 proved that more than ever. I’m not sure where he lands for 2025. Perhaps it’s out of F1 entirely and over to the growing WEC entry with the 499P. Last year in Canada, Sainz had spoken with Viaplay and said that he had interest. Seemingly, this could keep him in the stable, and allow him to pursue other interests. I doubt any other team in the paddock will take him on.
“We were talking about it, actually, whether we could race together in Le Mans – with Charles.
“I would do it. It’s just the calendar of F1 nowadays doesn’t allow much flexibility.”