Hamilton's Future Contribution To Ferrari Doubted By Schumacher

Saturday, 16 March 2024 at 09:15

Six-time Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher recently questioned what Hamilton could bring to Ferrari.

It was rumored that Ferrari would pay the seven-time World Champion around $100 million per year. Although this figure was not confirmed, it is clear that signing Lewis Hamilton wasn't cheap.

On the other hand, Ferrari's stock price rose by about $4 billion on the day of the 39-year-old's contract announcement. Markets seem to believe that the British driver will bring immense value to Ferrari.

But what can the number 44 bring to the team? Ralf Schumacher believes it would be mainly his experience, but he isn't sure whether the Italian team needs that. He told formel1.de:

"He will certainly bring his expertise and insights, but I think Ferrari is already well on its way. Hamilton won't be able to contribute too much,"

Read also

'Don't Start To Talk About After Hamilton!': Vasseur Shuts Down Early Speculations

When Scuderia's team principal, Fred Vasseur, was asked this question, he mentioned speed, technical approach, and different vision.

Moreover, former F1 driver Ican Capelli also suggested that the seven-time World Champion joining the team would make it naturally more attractive for engineers from other teams and might help attract talent to the team. Schumacher continued:

"I'm sure Vasseur wouldn't pay that much money for nothing. He will offer and give Hamilton everything to ensure he can perform."

However, the German former F1 driver sees a bit of a problem with Hamilton's performance. He already suggested he believes the 39-year-old is less consistent and cannot get as much out of the car as Verstappen.

The 48-year-old describes the current Mercedes driver as someone who "has to feel like he can win to be able to drive fast." He also raised some concerns about Hamilton's ability to adjust to upcoming regulations, which might require a different driving style, as he added:

"So the question is, will he keep up with the times when the new rules come in? Because with new rules, the driving style also changes, and he may have difficulty with that."