Prancing destiny by Maurice Hamilton
Rounding off his career in one of the most illustrious Scuderia in motor racing could prove enticing for the 2019 F1 world champion
As the chequered ag fell in Abu Dhabi, the effect of the 21-race season hit home. Adrenaline levels tumbled and feelings of exhaustion rose. Journalists were as keen as everyone else to knock it into neutral, switch off the laptop and cruise home. The gossip and opinion could be put on hold for a few days. Or could it?
No sooner had members of the media landed at various destinations in Europe when cellphones were buzzing. Editors back at base wanted to know what to make of Lewis Hamilton going to Ferrari. Rumours about the colourful world champion are always newsworthy; link him with motorsport’s most iconic team and such speculation shoots to the top of any agenda.
Sports editors, by de nition, are Jacksof-all-trades but masters of only a few. Formula One and its associated complexity is de nitely not one of them. I was probably not alone in being asked if Mercedes was horri ed by its golden boy upping sticks and moving to Maranello overnight. It was necessary to explain that, if Hamilton moved at all, it would be after his contract had expired at the end of 2020. That reduced the anticipation of a juicy story from fever pitch to intense excitement.
It also led to the broader question of how unique it would be to have a British driver working with the Italians. The answer is: not as rare as you would think. Britain’s
rst world champion, Mike Hawthorn, did it in a Ferrari in 1958. More recently – well, in 1989 and ‘90 – Nigel Mansell had a typically dramatic period dressed in red. Between these two, no fewer than eight drivers from the UK signed on the dotted line at Maranello (naming them* is a good question for your next pub quiz). There can be no debate that Hamilton racing for Scuderia Ferrari would be the tastiest story of them all.
How likely is it? Hamilton is certainly entertaining the thought. Stories in the in uential Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport say he has already chatted with Ferrari president, John Elkann. And why not? Hamilton will be contractually free and driving for the Prancing Horse does have an allure, regardless of Ferrari’s apparent lack of competitiveness. You could say helping turn the team around to become a successful part of such a rich heritage would be a major attraction. Michael Schumacher (with the assistance of Ross Brawn, Jean Todt and South Africa’s Rory Byrne) did it. Ayrton Senna was known to wish to drive for Ferrari before he retired; a dream cut desperately short by the Brazilian’s fatal accident at Imola on 1 May 1994.
Hamilton will turn 36 in January 2021. It will mark the start of his 15th season in F1 and, arguably, the prime of his competitive years before age and fatigue begin to erode even the most innate talent. What a way to bow out. Much will depend, however, on what he achieves in between.
If Hamilton wins a seventh championship and equals Michael Schumacher’s record this year, will he want to walk away from a proven working relationship with Mercedes and jeopardise the rare chance of establishing an extraordinary eight in 2021? The opportunity to set a new benchmark if he switched to Ferrari would be weakened by the time taken to bed in with a new team, particularly one as politically complex and idiosyncratic as this one.
Hamilton has said in the past records don’t mean that much; he embraces them as and when they come but he does not set out with statistical excellence as his main motivation. Maybe so. To be in touching distance of such a remarkable milestone must surely blur his priorities.
On the other hand, if he fails to secure a seventh in 2020, he has nothing to lose; in fact, a huge amount to gain nancially by making the switch after eight seasons with Mercedes. It could be argued Hamilton would be ill-advised to move out of his comfort zone and step into the madness of Ferrari. But that’s what the pundits said in 2012 when he announced his departure from Mclaren – never lower than third in the championship during the previous seven years – to move to a team that was struggling to nd its feet. Sixty-three wins later, we know the answer to that.
*Peter Collins, Cliff Allison, Tony Brooks, Mike Parkes, John Surtees, Jonathan Williams, Derek Bell and Eddie Irvine.