At the end of 2024, Lewis Hamilton will leave the Mercedes Formula 1 team after twelve years to join Ferrari next season. Now Silver Arrows director Andrew Shovlin has revealed what he will miss when Hamilton is no longer there. Because the Brit was more than just a title winner.
Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven world championships in the Mercedes jersey, giving the German car manufacturer’s Formula 1 racing team its most successful period. But after the current season, after twelve seasons, it’s time to say goodbye, as Hamilton is moving to Ferrari. But what can the Scuderia look forward to? Mercedes’ technical director Andrew Shovlin revealed this when he spoke about the qualities of the record world champion.
“I will miss him as a character, because it was always really fun to be with him,” said Shovlin in a media round shortly before the summer break when he was asked about Hamilton’s impending departure and what qualities the Briton brings with him beyond his driving skills.
“His race pace was always extremely good, but what he brought to the team is a lot of speed and a good feeling for what the car needs,” said the official, who added: “He is very good at pointing out where the car’s weaknesses lie.”
Hamilton has “this innate feeling for what the car and the tires are doing and that is very valuable when you incorporate that into the development process,” the technical director praised Hamilton’s advice.
Formula 1: Hamilton seeks “new challenge”
The record world champion, who has had to go through a difficult phase in recent years due to Mercedes’ weakness, recently won with the up-and-coming F1 team in Silverstone and Spa. He also took two third places in Barcelona and Budapest. For Hamilton, this is certainly a conciliatory start to his impending departure from the Silver Arrows.
Regarding Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Shovlin said: “It is clear that he wants to open another chapter in his career after his very successful career at Mercedes.” The 39-year-old is “at an age where he should do that sooner rather than later.”
The change was certainly easy for the Briton because Mercedes was not performing as well as it is now at the beginning of 2024. “I suspect if we dominated the championship, it would be difficult for him to do that,” said Shovlin. But Hamilton has now “opted for a different challenge” and it was simply “difficult to convince him otherwise.”
It is still unclear who will succeed Hamilton at Mercedes and whether he is just as much of an expert in developing the car. The hottest candidate is Mercedes hopeful and youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli. However, this could also be a placeholder for world champion Max Verstappen, who is also repeatedly mentioned.
Source: www.sport.de
