F1 News
Was Hamilton's head already at Ferrari? 'Performed better than Mercedes'
- Cas van de Kleut
It was a tough season in Formula 1 for Lewis Hamilton. Despite two wins, he struggled incredibly at many points in 2024. Giedo van der Garde told the Viaplay F1 Annual Review that he thinks he knows why Hamilton performed disappointingly at times.
Even before the season started, Hamilton announced that he would switch to Ferrari after 2024. This put everyone at Mercedes in a difficult position since he still had to see out the season with the team with whom he became six-time world champion among drivers and took eight constructors' titles.
'Hamilton's head was already with Ferrari'
Christijan Albers, therefore, thinks it was not smart of Hamilton to announce the decision so early: "The hardest part was, of course, that initial phase, when he announced he was going to drive for Ferrari. That was obviously not a good move when you still have a whole year to go out with a team. And I think certain factors really gave Russell the upper hand there throughout the season."
Van der Garde even stated, "I'm sure his head was already with Ferrari because Ferrari obviously performed better than Mercedes. They had it better. He was probably already looking with two slanted eyes then, of 'Oh, I can't wait to be in that car next year'. Only in the race you will always see that if Hamilton has a good car, he will be there. So I think Ferrari is a really good choice for him. A new team, new people, fresh blood. I think he can be really good for it next year anyway."
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica
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