F1 insiders think Lewis Hamilton is ‘deluding himself’ by chasing another title at Ferrari

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Many Formula 1 personnel believe that Lewis Hamilton’s apparent decline is irreversible, according to a report. Hamilton is about to enter his 20th F1 season at the age of 41.

Hamilton will become the first driver to take part in 20 consecutive seasons, breaking his current tie with Rubens Barrichello. Only Fernando Alonso, about to compete in his 23rd campaign, boasts more overall.

In 2024, the British driver finished outside the top six in the world championship for the first time. While he gained a spot last year, he also went a whole season without a podium – another career-first.

Will Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to Ferrari’s car development be a gamechanger?

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Lewis Hamilton is causing ‘irreparable damage’ to his legacy at Ferrari

As reported by The Telegraph, Hamilton is ‘desperate’ to go out of F1 on his own terms, choosing when to retire rather than being let go by Ferrari.

It’s believed that Hamilton signed a three-year deal before he joined the Scuderia, but there are exit clauses at play this year. It may be that the driver himself decides whether he wants to see out the contract.

Hamilton, who believes the end of the 2021 season was an injustice, still believes he can become F1’s first eight-time champion. If he had lost faith, he would have walked away already.

Is it unrealistic to expect another title from Lewis Hamilton in his 20th F1 season?

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But ‘many in the sport’ strongly disagree. Instead, they feel that Hamilton is ‘deluding himself’ and only causing ‘irreparable damage’ to his legacy the longer he stays in the sport.

They point out that ‘time waits for no man’, not even the most successful driver in F1 history. Alonso continues to impress at the age of 44, but different athletes decline at different rates.

Who was the last F1 driver to win a title in their 40s?

Hamilton won his last title in 2020, so if he regains the trophy this year, that would be a six-year gap. Only one driver – Niki Lauda (1977-84) – has ever had a larger interval between titles.

It has also been 60 years since a driver in their 40s won the championship (Jack Brabham), so history is clearly against Hamilton.

Damon Hill believes Ferrari are ‘in the mix’ for the title after watching testing, but if the car is good enough, the question is whether Hamilton can capitalise. Beating Charles Leclerc at this stage of his career would be an almighty achievement.

Hamilton starts the season with an interim engineer, and Jolyon Palmer believes this could hurt him. Cedric Grosjean is expected to join once he has completed his post-McLaren gardening leave.