Ex-Mercedes employee names the “biggest mistake” one can make regarding 105-time F1 winner Lewis Hamilton
Former Mercedes employee Loic Serra mentioned that underestimating Lewis Hamilton would be the "biggest mistake" one would make ahead of his move with Ferrari. The seven-time F1 world champion surprised everyone with his decision to leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season to join the Italian team on a multi-year deal.
However, there have been questions surrounding Hamilton's decision to move to Ferrari due to an underwhelming end to his tenure with Mercedes in 2024. The 39-year-old could only finish P7 in the driver's standings with 223 points. He was behind his teammate George Russell, who was P6 with 245 points.
Loic Serra, who also joined Ferrari from Mercedes in October 2024, claimed that he did not foresee Lewis Hamilton joining the team but was not worried about his form. Speaking with Gazzetta dello Sport during the traditional Cavallino Christmas lunch this week, the 52-year-old said (via Motorsport Italy):
"When I signed, more than a year ago. I didn't know Lewis would come. I'm very sure he'll be as fast as he was in his best years. The biggest mistake you can make is to underestimate Hamilton, who has an extraordinary ability to feel the car and what's missing to go faster."
Hamilton's switch to Ferrari came off out of the blue, given that he had signed a contract extension with Mercedes in August last year that would see him race for them until the end of 2025, at the very least. However, the 105-time race winner decided to activate the release clause to join the Maranello-based outfit for what was being deemed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ferrari team boss gives his take on providing Lewis Hamilton with a "Mercedes-like environment"
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said that they preferred not to replicate a "Mercedes-like environment" to help Lewis Hamilton acclimatize more easily in 2025.
Speaking to the media, the Frenchman expressed his belief in being able to handle Hamilton's adaptation period and said (as quoted by PlanetF1):
“I’m not sure that we have to do a copy-paste of what he did with Mercedes. The environment [at Mercedes] worked very well at the beginning, a bit less at the end. We have to find the best way to manage Lewis. I know him pretty well, but I don’t want to do at all a copy-paste of what he did in the past.”
In a further interview with Autosprint, Vassuer also quashed any worries about Lewis Hamilton's form heading into Ferrari and highlighted the seven-time champion's experience being beneficial for the team.
“As far as Lewis is concerned, it’s not just a matter of speed, of pure performance. It will bring the experience of a seven-time champion who has worked in top teams. It’s very good for a team to have someone who brings different experiences, especially if they’re at the level of Lewis."
Lewis Hamilton will race alongside Charles Leclerc at the Prancing Horses until the end of the 2026 season in a bid to help them win their first championship since 2008.