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Former Ferrari F1 driver Rene Arnoux has revealed his U-turn on Lewis Hamilton at the Prancing Horse, highlighting how he thought the seven-time world champion had lost his edge in F1 before taking victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Prior to Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence with Ferrari this year, the 41-year-old faced a plethora of calls for him to retire from the sport despite his status as one of F1’s only two seven-time title-winners.
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However, Hamilton’s resurgence to being back to his very best has forced many critics to eat their previous verdicts on the Briton, with his podium tally now up to four for the season following his latest triumph in the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Among those was former Ferrari star Rene Arnoux, who opined that Hamilton would not be able to find his former race-winning form again due to his age at the height of his struggles at Maranello last year.
Rene Arnoux admits he thought Lewis Hamilton had ‘lost his edge’ before Barcelona GP victory
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in the days following Hamilton’s win in Montmelo, Arnoux owned up to his previous verdicts on the Ferrari ace, and highlighted how he has, once again, proved that he is a ‘true champion’.
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After being asked whether it was the car that made the difference, due to the eight upgrades Ferrari engineers took with them to Barcelona, or if it was actually the man behind the wheel of the car that proved to be the decisive factor, Arnoux replied, “Both surprised me.”
The Frenchman then added, “I thought Hamilton had lost his edge with age, but he proved to be a true champion. He took the team on his shoulders, earning the fans’ trust.
“Ferrari, on the other hand, has made a huge step forward. The developments have worked, and the championship is still long. All the ingredients are there for a nail-biting battle with Mercedes.”
Hamilton now trails Kimi Antonelli by 41 points in the title race, with the young Italian’s DNF in the closing stages of the 66-lap Grand Prix meaning that the 41-year-old was rewarded with the perfect result for his championship challenge.
Mercedes teammate George Russell also enjoyed a good points haul over Antonelli, with his P2 finish in Barcelona cutting the 19-year-old’s advantage over him by 18 points.
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Rene Arnoux now sees Charles Leclerc ‘at rock bottom’ at Ferrari
However, on the other side of the Ferrari garages, Arnoux sees Charles Leclerc in crisis mode. The Monegasque driver failed to score any points in Montmelo due to a late power steering failure that occurred just four laps before the chequered flag.
It marked the second race weekend where Leclerc has failed to finish the Grand Prix, following his crash at turn 14 in the dying embers of his home race in Monaco last week.
On the topic of the 28-year-old, the seven-time Grand Prix winner said, “Right now, his morale is at rock bottom. He’s shown a fragility that was, in some ways, unexpected, making too many mistakes.
“He crashed in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Clearly, he’s not comfortable with the car, but the problem is mainly a mental one. He didn’t expect Hamilton to be this competitive.”
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