David Coulthard sends Michael Schumacher warning to Ferrari after signing Lewis Hamilton for next season

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Lewis Hamilton will switch to Ferrari next season as he attempts to become the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 to win a title for the Scuderia.

It is being billed as one of the biggest moves in the championship, as it will see the most successful driver partner with the most successful team in F1.

To mark the occasion, Ferrari is reportedly allowing Hamilton to use Enzo Ferrari’s old house in Maranello while at the team’s factory during test days at their Fiorano race track.

Hamilton may also earn his own street name in the area if he wins a title, given the previous history of championship winners in the place.

Given Ferrari’s recent form, it might seem like one of the best partnerships to enable Hamilton to finally win his eighth title and cement himself as F1’s all-time great. But David Coulthard thinks it might not be as straightforward and makes a comparison to Michael Schumacher when speaking to PlanetF1.com.

David Coulthard makes Michael Schumacher comparison when discussing Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari move

When Schumacher made his comeback to Mercedes, it was clear that he was not at the peak compared to his days at Ferrari. Granted the seven-time World Champion was out for three years prior, but he never returned to his form that dominated F1 in the early 00s.

Coulthard thinks a similar scenario could see Hamilton suffer the same fate, given the culture shock and his current run of races at Mercedes.

“I suspect [the move] was slightly emotional and in a frustrated place. Some relationships, over time, become a bit stale,” said Coulthard.

“He obviously saw the opportunity at Ferrari a bit like, I guess, Mercedes when they brought Michael [Schumacher] back. They thought they were getting the Michael of his Ferrari era, and then they found out they just got a good Michael.

“Ferrari may end up just getting a good Lewis. A good Lewis is still pretty handy, but he’s been consistently outperformed by George this year – maybe not in the championship points table, but in terms of qualifying and that.”

Mercedes block Lewis Hamilton from taking part in Ferrari test

Hamilton will not be able to get a taste of a Ferrari until next year after Mercedes blocked him from taking part in a test with the Italian team at the end of the season.

This is partially because Hamilton’s contractual obligations run up until the end of the year with the team, with a sponsorship event planned for the week that Ferrari will be taking part in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

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This is in contrast to Ferrari’s stance with Carlos Sainz, who has been granted permission to run with Williams in the same test.

Instead, Hamilton will need to wait until early next year, when Ferrari plans to run him in a 2022 car as part of the rules surrounding testing of previous cars in F1.