Lewis Hamilton may now have made the same Ferrari realisation as Michael Schumacher after just two races

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Lewis Hamilton won as a Ferrari driver for the first time last weekend. And yet, the Scuderia’s start to the season has unquestionably been a failure.

Hamilton looked like the best version of himself on Saturday in Shanghai as he converted his surprise pole position into a dominant victory. Over just 19 laps, he beat second-place Oscar Piastri by nearly seven seconds.

Ted Kravitz questioned why Hamilton didn’t celebrate more, but there were only eight points up for grabs – equivalent to sixth in a Grand Prix. That’s where he finished on Sunday, or so it seemed.

Ferrari regressed from the Sprint and were arguably the fourth-fastest team on race day as McLaren scored a one-two ahead of George Russell and Max Verstappen. Hamilton offered to let Charles Leclerc past but, carrying front-wing damage, he didn’t make any meaningful progress in the end.

The seven-time world champion was later disqualified for excessive plank wear, while Leclerc met the same fate after breaching the lower weight limit. It’s the first time both Ferraris have been thrown out of an F1 race, and it leaves them fifth in the standings, level on points with Williams.

Ferrari need ‘time to transform’ with Lewis Hamilton just like they did in 1999

Ferrari showed in China that they have the potential to beat McLaren on a regular basis this year. But they’re already 61 adrift in the constructors’, and it may be that these first two rounds were decisive.

The car is reasonable, albeit a slight step back from last year. But the biggest concern for Fred Vasseur has to be the team’s operational failings.

A fluffed strategy in Australia – Ferrari kept both their drivers out too long on slick tyres during a late rain shower – spurned a podium shot. They left Melbourne with just five points.

And while their transgressions in China were slight, F1 teams very rarely make these mistakes. Ferrari must see them as unacceptable.

Speaking in 1999 (via Atlas), the iconic Michael Schumacher asked Ferrari fans to be patient because ‘it takes time to transform a team’. Hamilton may now be realising that too.

He would have hoped that Vasseur’s squad were ready to win a title at the outset after finishing just 14 points behind McLaren in 2024. But the first two rounds have shown him that he still needs to raise standards at Maranello.

Jackie Stewart told Michael Schumacher exactly what he needed to at Ferrari

Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996 and slowly built the team up into a contender. He was third in his first season and runner-up in ’98.

Then, in 2000, he launched the most dominant era F1 has ever seen, winning five straight world championships. Unfortunately, Hamilton doesn’t quite have the same amount of time at 40.

But he’d like to think Ferrari are further along in their journey. Schumacher joined a team that had only won one race the previous season, whereas the Italian marquee picked up five victories last year.

Speaking at the time, F1 legend Jackie Stewart told Schumacher he’d have to be ‘very tough’ and ‘very arrogant’ to bring Ferrari together. Hamilton isn’t regarded as a particularly ruthless character, but he did help to turn Mercedes into an omnipotent force.