Hamilton would be a ‘fool’ to make Ferrari switch

It seemed merely rumour at first, but the talk of a Lewis Hamilton move to Ferrari for 2021 continues to gather momentum.

After Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Hamilton had spoken with Ferrari president John Elkann twice during the 2019 campaign, talk instantly began to swirl.

Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto has declared himself “happy” that Hamilton was available for 2021, while his current boss at Mercedes Toto Wolff said he has “zero problem” with his six-time World Champion talking to their rivals.

The man himself sees “no harm” in exploring options outside of Mercedes, but some of our readers and forum members seem to think that the six-time World Champion would be a fool to join Ferrari in 2021.

As well as debating that potential major move, there was also a conversation to be had for Formula 1’s greatest moments of the decade after the Abu Dhabi GP brought an end to F1 in the 2010’s.

Lewis Hamilton would be a “fool” to make Ferrari switch for 2021

Hamilton would be a fool to drive for Ferrari. Since he’s no fool, he will continue to drive for Mercedes, the team that brought him up through the ranks. Mercedes is the most likely to hit the ground running under the 2021 regs… So that’s two good reasons, maybe more.

Of course, all this depends on whether he decides to continue driving after matching Schumacher’s 7 WDCs… I’m not yet convinced that he cares to break Schumacher’s record. He says he’s not all that concerned about breaking records, so we’ll see if his words eventually match the talk.

The closest Ferrari will come to hiring HAM will be to suggest in public that they could, or might.

DFWdude

2010-19: Ranking the decade in F1

1. Driver of the decade – Lewis Hamilton. Whilst I’d consider Alonso to have been better over the course of their respective careers, when we’re talking about this decade his achievements only span the first half of it.
2. Team of the decade – Mercedes. Obviously.
3. Race of the decade – Bahrain 2014
4. Lap of the decade – Lewis Hamilton, Monza 2017
5. Season of the decade – 2012
6. Best single race performance of the decade – Fernando Alonso, European GP 2012
7. Favourite moment of the decade – Kobayashi on the podium at Suzuka
8. Controversy/controversial moment of the decade – Multi 21
9. Track of the decade – Austin

j man

1. Driver of the decade: Lewis Hamilton
2. Team of the decade: Mercedes
3. Race of the decade: Canada 2011
4. Lap of the decade: Hulkenberg, Brazil 2010
5. Season of the decade: 2012
6. Best single race performance of the decade: Alonso, Malaysia 2012
7. Favourite moment of the decade: Abu Dhabi 2018 doughnuts
8. Controversy/controversial moment of the decade: Baku 2017
9. Track of the decade: Shanghai has delivered the best quality races

KingVoid

1. Driver of the decade: Lewis Hamilton
2. Team of the decade: Mercedes
3. Race of the decade: Canada 2014
4. Lap of the decade: Ricciardo, Monaco 2016 (Pole)
5. Season of the decade: 2012
6. Best single race performance of the decade: Verstappen, Brazil 2016 (Wet Race)
7. Favourite moment of the decade: Webber gets a ride on Alonso’s car – Singapore 2013
8. Controversy/controversial moment of the decade: Malaysia 2013 – Vettel Overtakes Webber Despite Team Orders (Multi 21)
9. Track of the decade: Montreal

oz_karter

What areas does Charles Leclerc need to work on for next season?

Leclerc has ascended quickly and still has lots of room to grow. Considering he’s been in the sport for two years, his peak level is exceptional in qualifying, and on his day in the races he is also very quick.

But that’s where his real work needs to be done next season, especially regarding consistent race pace, and also to take matters more into his own hands at times to ensure he can’t be snagged at the last as he was by Max in Austria.

It’s taken Verstappen until his 5th season to reach something approaching his prime/peak in speed and consistency. I don’t expect Leclerc to stop growing any time soon and think he will be seen in that very top echelon before too long.

I would contest the idea however that after a certain point the level of a driver becomes more or less static. It is usually the case taken as an average but often I feel we should allow for greater variance of form season on season rather than stick so rigidly to established baselines and that ascending or declining a half tier or a tier can happen, even after years of experience in the game.

And of course, drastic new regs can somewhat shake up the order of things.

Invade

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