Ferrari warned of ‘vicious circle’ as Lewis Hamilton backed in Michael Schumacher 2.0 call

Lewis Hamilton may be 66 points behind Charles Leclerc in the standings, but he is the Ferrari driver which the team must listen to for the future.

That is the opinion of ex-Ferrari stalwart Francesco Cigarini, who claims that the Michael Schumacher era can be recreated with Lewis Hamilton, but only if Ferrari “listen to him” on how the car is developed. Cigarini claims that this would benefit Leclerc as well.

Ferrari urged to let Lewis Hamilton steer

Hamilton has struggled thus far to live up to the hype at Ferrari. He arrived at Maranello as Formula 1’s most successful driver, but is yet to add to his haul of 202 podiums. Teammate Leclerc has realised that achievement seven times in F1 2025, as is 66 points better off than Hamilton in the standings.

It has been an underwhelming campaign for Ferrari as a team overall, with the ambitions of a title challenge downgraded to facing going the whole season without a grand prix win.

Cigarini has seen the glory days at Ferrari. He was a mechanic at the time when Michael Schumacher spearheaded the dream team which secured six consecutive Constructors’ titles between 1999-05, while Schumacher won five Drivers’ titles in a row.

In a Fanpage.it interview, Cigarini spoke of “total trust between driver and team” underpinning that golden era, “based on the knowledge that everyone was working towards a common goal.

“Everyone took responsibility for their own role, and if they lost, they lost together.”

At Ferrari, Schumacher became a seven-time world champion and cemented his legacy as a legend of the team and sport. Now, Ferrari has the only other seven-time champion in their team in the form of Hamilton.

Cigarini is convinced that Hamilton can be Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher 2.0, but only if he is allowed to shape the team’s direction.

“Hamilton brings knowledge and organisation typical of British teams, which are highly structured and different from Ferrari,” said Cigarini.

“Today, something similar can be rebuilt with Lewis: signing a multiple world champion was the right choice, not only for marketing reasons but also for the experience he brings.

“The question is how much weight the team really gives to what he says. If he suggests something and is not listened to because ‘Leclerc is faster’, it becomes a vicious circle: the driver does not feel part of the technical management.”

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc head-to-head in F1 2025

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Asked if he was suggesting that Ferrari should trust Hamilton beyond what the results say, Cigarini confirmed: “Leclerc is very fast and is more used to driving on eggshells. Hamilton is strong, but he needs a more solid car. If you listen to him, you can improve in the long term.

“It takes time, as was the case with Schumacher and [Jean] Todt. It took patience at first, but then the results came.

“I would put my full trust in Lewis, even if the stopwatch isn’t rewarding him today. And Leclerc will also benefit from this.”

Ferrari can prosper from final Lewis Hamilton F1 contribution

At this stage in his career, Hamilton is running out of opportunities to prove that his peak has not been and gone. He was outscored by George Russell in two of their three seasons together at Mercedes, and Leclerc is now winning his intra-team battle with the seven-time world champion.

Whether to hit top gear again, Hamilton simply needs the carrot of that record eighth title dangled, is unclear. That may well be answered next season, if Ferrari designs a title-worthy car to the new regulations.

What is more certain is that Hamilton knows what it takes to be part of a winning… no, dominant Formula 1 team. Even if he can no longer maximise such car performance on the track, he does have the knowledge to create it. To Cigarini’s point, that is where Leclerc can benefit.

Having no F1 2025 wins to his name does not do Leclerc justice. He has been one of the grid’s top performers across the season. If Hamilton can use his experience to build a top tier Ferrari, then Leclerc – the form book suggests – would be the driver to make full use of it.

Hamilton has the chance to make a historic final contribution to Ferrari and the sport.

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