Ferrari silent on ‘rumours’ Lewis Hamilton is working with Mercedes technical partners again

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Lewis Hamilton has turned to one of his old Mercedes allies to improve his performances at Ferrari, based on a rumour in the paddock.

Hamilton’s upturn in form continued in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix as he bagged a second successive podium and a third of the year. He has now moved up to second in the standings, splitting the two Mercedes.

Hamilton has hit 90 points after six rounds, a tally he didn’t reach until race 11 last season, and a change to his braking components may be key in his revival.

Lewis Hamilton is up to second in the drivers’ standings after the Monaco GP! Where will George Russell finish this year?

Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

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Has Lewis Hamilton switched to Carbon Industrie brake pads?

According to Motorsport IT, ‘rumours’ have circulated in the paddock since the Japanese GP at the end of March that Hamilton has been using Carbon Industrie brake discs.

Every F1 team uses Brembo brake calipers, but there is still some room for variation. Hamilton worked ‘extensively’ with Carbon Industrie during his historic stint at Mercedes.

As he revealed in the post-Monaco GP press conference, Hamilton has been ‘begging’ Fred Vasseur for certain changes, both to the car and the team, and one of these may concern the brakes. Ferrari have never ‘publicly confirmed’ the rumour.

However, teammate Charles Leclerc confirmed that Hamilton had gone in a different direction with his brakes, without going into detail. Leclerc said it felt as if he had no callipers at all when he crashed out at the final corner on Sunday.

Brembo released a statement in response to Leclerc, expressing surprise that he had blamed their material before a comprehensive investigation could be conducted. The Monegasque plans to use Hamilton’s set-up from this weekend’s Barcelona GP onwards.

Hamilton struggled to adjust to Brembo’s brake pads last season after getting used to Carbon Industrie at Mercedes, which contributed to his overriding lack of confidence behind the wheel. Effective late braking has long been regarded as one of his biggest strengths.

Hamilton delivered perhaps his most impressive performance as a Ferrari driver in Canada, one of the most demanding circuits of the year for the brakes, while Leclerc called it his worst weekend in F1.