Hamilton Might Run Into Same Problem That Schumacher Did 13 Years Ago

Saturday, 10 February 2024 at 20:00

Marc Surer suggested Lewis Hamilton could encounter the same problem at Ferrari that Michael Schumacher ran into at Mercedes.

Once Lewis Hamilton moves to Ferrari after the end of the season 2024, he will form one of the strongest, if not the strongest, lineups on the grid with Charles Leclerc.

The comparison between the seven-time World Champion and the young, promising driver who is considered to be possibly the fastest over one lap is something to look forward to.

While the comparison in records of the two drivers suggests Hamilton should be the dominant one, he is getting older every single year, and it is not clear just how much role that will play.

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David Coulthard asserted Leclerc is where the Briton might find his "greatest challenge" as he labeled the Monegasque driver a "champion in waiting." Former F1 driver Marc Surer seems to agree, as he told Formula1.de:

"Leclerc is a big problem for [Hamilton] because Leclerc will be faster. Anything else would surprise me."

The 26-year-old came to Ferrari in 2019 to take on a big challenge to drive alongside four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. What followed is what not many people might have expected.

Leclerc beat Vettel in all three seasons they drover together for Ferrari. The problem for the Monegasque driver is that he wasn't lucky enough to sit in the Championship-contending car, and that plays a big role in F1.

Nevertheless, Surer believes Hamilton coming to Ferrari to race alongside a young, talented driver is similar to when Michael Schumacher came to Mercedes to race alongside Nico Rosberg.

"It reminds me a bit of the situation with Michael Schumacher during his comeback with Mercedes. A certain Nico Rosberg put him in his place. And Lewis Hamilton could feel the same way."

In all three seasons that Schumacher and Rosberg spent together in Mercedes, the younger of the two came out on top. Could a similar fate await Hamilton at Ferrari?