Yesterday at 11:05
Lewis Hamilton's difficult start at Ferrari has drawn sharp
criticism from former Scuderia driver Arturo Merzario, who believes
the seven-time F1 drivers' champion is feeling "demolished" by his
new team. The 82-year-old offered a damning assessment of
Hamilton's 2025 campaign, suggesting the Briton's arrival at
Maranello was little more than a "commercial move" that has
backfired. Their first half-season (or so) together culminated in
the underwhelming performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where
Hamilton called himself "useless" after qualifying P12, compared
with Charles Leclerc, who took pole. His self-criticism did not
stop there, and he went as far as to suggest Ferrari ought to
"change driver" in a bid to improve results. "I think his outburst
was ironic in some respects," Merzario told La Gazzetta dello Sport
, referring to Hamilton's comments at the Hungaroring. "Certainly,
his position was not what one would expect from a seven-time world
champion. Rather, it seems to me that Lewis is feeling 'demolished'
by Ferrari." The performance gap between him and his team-mate has
been noteworthy, particularly when comparing their head-to-head
record; Leclerc leads qualifying 10-4 and grand prix results 11-2
(it would have been 12-2 had it not been for their double
disqualification in China). And through 14 races, Hamilton has
failed to secure a podium, with Leclerc consistently outperforming
him. The Monegasque driver has reached the rostrum five times in
that span. Merzario, who raced for the Scuderia in the 1970s,
believes the appointment was fundamentally misguided. "Firstly, in
my opinion, Hamilton's arrival at Maranello was a commercial move,"
he stated. "Ninety percent of Ferrari insiders disagreed, at least
as far as I know." Merzario ultimately believes that much of the
performance deficit is the consequence of a lack of motivation.
"When a driver doesn't feel valued or an integral part of the team
in achieving a goal, he loses motivation," he explained. "Why go
crazy to gain three tenths while still remaining in the third row?"
Despite his harsh assessment, Merzario hasn't completely written
off Hamilton's Ferrari chapter, suggesting the Briton is playing a
longer game. "It's not over," he insisted. "He'll only take risks
when necessary, not for an eighth position." The former Ferrari
driver highlighted how the 105-time grand prix winner has proven
himself in F1 already, something Leclerc has yet to do. "Also,
because if he ever wanted to leave, he would find another team," he
added. "Hamilton has already shown what he's worth. "He's not in
Leclerc's situation: Charles still has to prove he's a champion."
