Is Ferrari to blame, then? 'Hamilton's driving style has worked for years'

13:23, 23 Aug

byNorberto Mujica

Lewis Hamilton’s difficult sporting life at Ferrari has drawn sharp criticism in recent weeks, but not everyone is willing to lay the blame solely at the feet of the seven-time World Champion.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Juan Pablo Montoya believes the problem runs deeper – and has more to do with how Ferrari engineers expect Hamilton to adapt.

Speaking on his MontoyAS podcast with AS Colombia, Montoya was asked if Ferrari had made the right decision in signing Hamilton given the rocky debut season.

Instead of pointing fingers at the Briton, he drew a parallel with Carlos Sainz Jr.’s early struggles at Maranello.

“If you look at Carlos’s first year at Ferrari, it wasn’t good,” Montoya said.

“In fact, when they chose to sign Hamilton, Carlos was still having problems. Only afterwards he started to perform well.

"If it [the decision to sign Hamilton] had come a year later, [Ferrari] might not have gone for Hamilton because Carlos was doing better then.

Ferrari lacks patience, 'Hamilton's driving style works'

"So you need patience. It’s not easy,” Montoya added.

Montoya argued that patience is a two-way street, required not just from Hamilton, and believes Ferrari's engineers seem to have very little of it.

“Hamilton has been driving a certain way for many years, and it works.

"The problem is that many engineers are saying, ‘No, this car needs to be driven differently, this car needs something else.’ But that car (the SF-25, ed.), isn’t exactly good either.”

Hamilton during the Hungarian Grand Prix

Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc hace been unable to deliver results that match their level of skill. Why? Ferrari's car.

The SF-25's potential has been marred by a ride height issue that has detailed their season completely.

Ferrar however, are focused on developing what can be carried over into the upcoming season, namely the suspension and other mechanical aspects.

Ironically, it is precisely the suspension that has caused major headaches for the Scuderia, while a forced increase in ride height after a double disqualification for excessive plank wear in China made the car even more unstable.

Leclerc has managed to adapt better so far, though, consistently outperforming his new teammate, but Montoya insists that doesn’t mean Ferrari’s solution is simply to demand that Hamilton changes.