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Former Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto has criticized Lewis Hamilton amid the Briton's slow start to life at Maranello. While the Italian mentioned that the 7x world champion has tons of experience, which will help the Italian team, he also questioned whether it will be enough for him to be able to be successful.
Previously Ferrari's Team Principal, Binotto is now the Chief Operating and Technical Officer of the Sauber F1 team, as it transitions into Audi from 2026 onwards. But this has not stopped the Italian from giving his take on Hamilton's early struggles at his new team at the start of this season.
As reported by Spanish outlet Soymotor on Tuesday, Binotto has questioned whether Hamilton will be able to thrive at Ferrari, even though the Briton is enthused and experienced.
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"He has brought great enthusiasm, passion and a lot of experience to Ferrari, but that may not be enough," said Binotto. "We still don't know how fast Lewis is, and this experience will help him understand that, since a strong driver adapts quickly." he added.
The 55-year-old also mentioned that the upcoming races will give us a clearer view of the pecking order at Ferrari, with regards to Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc's comparative pace.
"In these first races of 2025 we will see what the balance of power with Charles will be and what its impact will be on him. These are questions that I will not enter into."
Lewis Hamilton had perhaps hoped for a better start to life in Italy, and would not have wanted to encounter so many issues at the very beginning of his journey with the Prancing Horse. While the 40-year-old did get his first win with his new team in the Chinese GP sprint, he has not been able to make a mark in any of the conventional qualifying sessions or races this season.
The veteran is yet to beat his teammate Charles Leclerc in qualifying, having continued his struggles from last year on Saturdays. But the Briton did manage to salvage a somewhat positive result in Bahrain, as he came from P9, all the way up to finish P5.
Lewis Hamilton provided positive verdict of his Ferrari after the Bahrain GP
Lewis Hamilton claimed that he knew 'what to search for now', with regards to finding performance in his SF-25 challenger, after the Bahrain GP. The Briton sounded upbeat with the trajectory that he and his car are heading in after the race in Sakhir.
Speaking after the race on Sunday, Hamilton shared a positive outlook, as he talked about finding the pace in his Ferrari for the first time this season.
“I learned a lot today, and as I saw, that middle stint I was really in line with the car and I had the pace and I was moving forwards,” said Lewis Hamilton. “I need that at the beginning and the end and I need that in Qualifying so I know what to search for now.” he added. [via Formula1.com]
Hamilton also mentioned that he moved his car's setup closer to that of his teammate Charles Leclerc's for the duration of the Bahrain GP weekend, and that seemingly made the balance of his car better. Now, the former Mercedes man will be hoping for a better performance at this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as he looks to truly kick-start his journey with the Italian team.
