Lewis Hamilton is set to make a move to Maranello, donning the Ferrari red for the first time in 2025. The British driver follows in the footsteps of the likes of Michael Schumacher. However, the seven-time world champion’s brother, Ralf Schumacher, does not anticipate Hamilton achieving the same level of success as the former Ferrari driver. The younger Schumacher also immediately points out why he believes the Brit will face a more challenging time at Scuderia.
Lewis Hamilton has long shared the number of world titles, seven, with Michael Schumacher, but now also follows in the German’s footsteps by moving to Ferrari. Schumacher had an extremely successful stint as a Ferrari driver, clinching the world title five times. Ralf Schumacher does not believe Hamilton will enjoy such success when he moves to Maranello, and for one very important reason.
Sport1 asked the seven-time world champion’s brother what the biggest difference is between Schumacher and Hamilton. “The biggest difference is that Michael, in addition to many other qualities, was able to work with the engineers to develop a car that was perfect for his driving style,” explains Ralf Schumacher.
According to the younger Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton is not as adept at working closely with his engineers, which could be a disadvantage for him at Ferrari. “Lewis can’t do that. He’s never been able to, if you listen closely to what the Mercedes engineers say,” said the former driver. “Toto Wolff has emphasized more than once that a driver must push the pedal to the metal and the engineers must innovate. But he also said this because his drivers apparently were not able to provide the right input.”
Leclerc
In addition, Schumacher believes Hamilton is at a disadvantage at Ferrari because his upcoming teammate has been working with the Italian team for much longer. “Michael was completely different. He always let his confidants like Ross Brawn and Jean Todt take the lead. For Lewis, this makes it even more difficult, because Charles Leclerc is the top dog. Everyone on the team knows him,” Schumacher said. “For Lewis, everything at Ferrari is new. Moreover, Michael came to Ferrari as the reigning world champion and he was much younger. Neither is the case for Lewis.”
