Ex-F1 driver pinpoints Lewis Hamilton’s ‘occupational hazard’ over first Ferrari crash
Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard made it clear that Lewis Hamilton's first Ferrari crash could happen to any F1 driver.
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Lewis Hamilton (via @lewishamilton/Instagram). Michael Schumacher (via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton‘s Ferrari switch remains the biggest talking point for the 2025 F1 season. The seven-time world champion faced a small setback during his first outing for the Scuderia. Now, former F1 driver David Coulthard has emphasized that the 40-year-old was not directly to be blamed, citing the example of Michael Schumacher.
The British driver was testing the 2023 race-winning SF23 at Barcelona alongside Charles Leclerc. However, the seven-time world champion crashed the car at Turn 12, and went right into the barriers. Hamilton was far from happy after the incident.
Coulthard asserted that facing such a setback was part of the job in Formula 1, claiming it to be an occupational hazard for Lewis Hamilton. Moreover, the former Red Bull driver insisted that even all-time greats like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher were not immune to going off the track in similar fashion.
Going off is an occupational hazard. And it doesn’t matter if you were the late great Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher or the current Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, we can all have an off at any certain point.
David Coulthard said on Formula For Success podcast
David Coulthard blames Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes habit
Hamilton has raced with Mercedes power throughout his F1 career, including his first stint at McLaren. David Coulthard reckoned that now the 40-year-old needs to adapt to Ferrari’s electrical systems and power unit mechanism. He claimed that the Mercedes system might be fully embedded into the mind of the seven-time world champion.
He has to get used to the control systems in that Ferrari, the power delivery… I suspect it was just [that] he’s so embedded in his mind about the Mercedes hybrid Formula 1 engine that he was simply caught out.
David Coulthard added
Certainly, Lewis Hamilton is learning to adapt to Ferrari after spending over a decade at the Silver Arrows. The F1 star has high ambitions for the latest chapter of his career. However, the Tifosi will need to stay patient and wait till the seven-time world champion makes his Grand Prix debut in Melbourne.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2388 Articles Published)