Former Red Bull Driver Sends Lewis Hamilton Warning To Ferrari - 'Stopwatch Doesn’t Lie'

Saajan Jogia | 15 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (16) leads Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton (44) during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, who raced for Red Bull between 2005 and 2008, has cautioned Ferrari about Lewis Hamilton's performance as the seven-time world champion prepares to join the team in a few weeks.

Coulthard pointed to Hamilton's decline in competitiveness, highlighting how he was consistently outqualified by his Mercedes teammate George Russell during most race weekends last season.

Although the seven-time world champion secured two Grand Prix victories last season, his first since the introduction of the ground-effect era in 2022, he struggled for much of the 2024 season with the W15 F1 car's pace and handling. Mercedes revealed that Hamilton's driving style was causing the rear tires to overheat, an issue not observed with Russell due to his different driving approach.

Coulthard described the Briton as "the biggest disappointment" of last year, hinting at his inability to end his 12-year partnership with Mercedes on a high note—a tenure that yielded eight Constructors' Championships and six drivers' titles.

In the 2024 season, Russell outperformed Hamilton in both qualifying and race results, finishing sixth in the championship standings, 22 points ahead of the 40-year-old, who settled for seventh.

Speaking to Viaplay, Coulthard stressed that he had "never seen this Lewis" in F1 before. As reported by RacingNews365, he said:

"I would still point to Lewis as the biggest disappointment.

"I know that’s controversial as he’s a seven-time world champion and a real winning machine, but I’ve never seen this Lewis in Formula 1.

"He was beaten in qualifying, while the greats can always find speed somewhere to squeeze out a qualifying lap when it really matters."

Pointing to Hamilton's 2025 switch to Ferrari, Coulthard said the Maranello outfit has a reason to be concerned, considering his performance at Mercedes last year. Admitting F1's data-driven nature that hints at Hamilton's drop in form last year, the 53-year-old former driver said:

"Ferrari of course signed him early in the year and then everyone was very enthusiastic.

"Ferrari’s shares shot up so fast that they have probably already eliminated all the costs of bringing in Lewis and [Fred] Vasseur [Ferrari team principal] of course knows him well.

"But Formula 1 remains a sport that is very dependent on data. The stopwatch doesn’t lie and at the moment it just doesn’t deliver in terms of lap times. So they have to worry a little bit.

"But sometimes change is also good. Maybe the switch to Ferrari for Hamilton, putting on that red suit, works the same as Superman putting on his suit. But it will be an exciting time anyway."