American F1 icon Mario Andretti believes Lewis Hamilton has ‘rediscovered the grit and desire to fight’ as he prepares for the biggest move of his illustrious career in 2025.
Hamilton has had a career-long association with Mercedes in F1 as McLaren also used the engine manufacturer when he first broke into the sport.
There was an expectation that Hamilton would retire from the sport with Mercedes as he approached the twilight years of his career.
The British racing superstar signed a one-year extension with Mercedes in August last year.
Mercedes’ reluctance to give Hamilton anything more appeared to open the door for a shock move with Ferrari quickly swooping in at the start of the year to sign him on a pre-agreement.
Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025REUTERS
Hamilton had been linked with Ferrari throughout his career, but their paths never appeared to be aligned.
But Fred Vasseur, who worked with Hamilton in the junior racing categories, sensed an opportunity and pounced to sign Hamilton to race alongside Charles Leclerc for 2025 and beyond.
Anticipation is already building ahead of next year to see how Hamilton will manage in his new environment.
Things weren’t working at Mercedes for Hamilton as he went on his longest-ever run without a win in the sport up until the British Grand Prix this summer.
The 39-year-old also sits ahead of team-mate George Russell in the standings with six races remaining and Andretti, who won Drivers’ Championship in 1978 with Lotus, feels the veteran driver is showing signs of being back to his best.
“I noticed that he has rediscovered the grit and desire to fight that he had lost a bit when Mercedes dominated,” Andretti said.
“It will be interesting to see him at the wheel of the Ferrari.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18, will replace Hamilton at Mercedes next year with Toto Wolff putting his faith in the teenager.
But the Mercedes team principal has admitted there will be times that they miss Hamilton’s experience.
Lewis Hamilton has six races left with Mercedes
PA
“I think we had such a great run with Lewis over the last 12 years,” Wolff said.
“He’s always going to be part of the family.
“But obviously, as a competitor, when we try to beat him next year, Kimi joining George [Russell] clearly brings momentum with it, plus youth and freshness.
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“You can feel the kind of smile that is in your organisation with having an 18-year-old in a car.
“But having said that, obviously, there will be moments where Lewis’s experience would have benefited the team.
“Kimi is going to be on a steep learning curve, but it’s absolutely the right thing for the team to do and there’s not one person that would have done it differently.”