Ex-Red Bull driver labels Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari switch a ‘Hollywood script’

Lewis Hamilton shocked the sporting world when he announced his move to Scuderia Ferrari for 2025. The British driver hopes to get back to fighting for the world championship this year. Now, former F1 driver David Coulthard has pointed out that Hamilton’s switch has similarities to scripts from Hollywood.

Coulthard claimed that in the past couple of years, the seven-time world champion was in a worrying state as he struggled to extract performance out of his Mercedes cars. Hamilton even went winless for 945 days between 2022 and 2024. David Coulthard reckoned that perhaps the 40-year-old simply needed a new environment to get back up to speed.

The former Red Bull driver declared that Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was nothing short of a Hollywood script. The most successful driver in the sport’s history was joining the most iconic team in the world of racing. Moreover, DC highlighted that Lewis Hamilton was even defying his age by making such a massive switch at the age of 40. He even praised the F1 star’s incredible fitness.

Lewis Hamilton will have a ‘final chapter’

The seven-time world champion has joined the Italian team on a multi-year deal till at least 2026. Though, Hamilton does intend to be fighting for victories this season, the regulations change next year will provide him the best opportunity to potentially fight for the world championship.

DC reckoned that Lewis Hamilton’s arrival to the Italian team had several things to be excited about. However, he warned anyone from writing this as the final chapter in the Briton’s career just yet. Coulthard insisted that the final chapter might happen within the next two years, or at least within the next five, hinting that Hamilton might choose to retire within a couple of seasons.

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton seems rejuvenated since joining the Italian team. So much so, that he has claimed that being an old man was just a state of mind. Moreover, the 40-year-old has declared that he won’t even think about retiring from racing till he at least turns 50. This is a rather bold claim made by Hamilton, and it would be interesting to see whether he can actually live up to this declaration over the next few years.

Will age impact Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari?

Hamilton is the second oldest driver on the current Formula 1 grid after 43-year-old Fernando Alonso. The British driver has raced in the sport every year since 2007. This could’ve undoubtedly taken a toll on the seven-time world champion, especially after a string of difficult seasons at Mercedes. However, it seems that Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever this year.

The 40-year-old has shown no signs of fatigue at his new team since moving to Maranello in January this year. The seven-time world champion has been working hard with his crew to learn how to drive Ferrari machinery after spending almost two decades solely with Mercedes power.

Lewis Hamilton does face the challenge of a much younger teammate in Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless, Hamilton’s on-track performances have never raised any doubts over his pace even during the last couple of seasons. Moreover, Ferrari has been satisfied with his runs during preseason testing. The 40-year-old has extensively tested the team’s older cars in the past month as well.

Certainly, Hamilton is a high performing athlete who ensures that he remains at his peak despite being 40 years old. The seven-time world champion leaves no stone unturned when it comes to maximizing performance on-track. As such, the Tifosi shouldn’t be worried about his age, and rather look forward to his Ferrari debut in Melbourne.

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