Coulthard believes in Hamilton title: 'Only needs to beat Leclerc then'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Will Max Verstappen lose the world championship in 2025? Judging from the test days in Bahrain, Red Bull Racing and the four-time world champion don't seem like the favourites by any means. Most say McLaren is in the best shape, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each hoping to clinch their first drivers' championship. And can Ferrari, a team that has had a test that gave more questions than answers, play a significant role?
Lewis Hamilton made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari to win the coveted eighth world title with the Italians. David Coulthard believes the former champion is capable of being the best again. "He can absolutely do it again," Coulthard told the Daily Mail. "He’s a seven-time champion. He can be more than that."
Coulthard sees Hamilton's chance depends on one thing
Everything hinges on the quality of the material Hamilton has at his disposal. Judging from the test in Bahrain, the Ferrari is (not yet) a dominant car, and perhaps slots in third in the pecking order (behind McLaren and Red Bull Racing). In any case, Coulthard says: "‘It really comes down to whether Ferrari have a competitive car."
"Mercedes last year was good enough to win a couple of races, for both him and George Russell, but it wasn’t good enough to challenge for the championship."
Despite them too winning multiple races in 2024, Ferrari fell short of McLaren and Red Bull's tally.. However, during the season, the Scuderia did show great progression. Should it turn out that Ferrari does have a car that can compete, Coulthard believes a title may be in the cards for Hamilton.
"We’ll find out in time whether Ferrari have a competitive car or not — and, if they do, all he has to do is beat Charles and he can be champion again."
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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