22/04/2025 18:30
Lewis Hamilton is enduring a wretched start to life with Ferrari, a
far cry from the wave of optimism that followed the seven-time F1
drivers' champion to the Italian team over the winter. It was the
most highly-anticipated move in the championship's history, billed
as motorsport's most iconic figure joining its most iconic team.
But the opening five rounds of the Briton's Maranello residency
have been miserable, save for one bright spot: victory in the
sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix. His form and accompanying results
have been a departure from what most expected, in stark contrast to
the post-Mercedes revival anticipated. Last year, over a series of
interviews, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde told RacingNews365
what he believed the combination of Hamilton and Ferrari could
achieve this season. "17 to 18 podiums," the Dutchman predicted. "I
can see him competing for the world title... with Max Verstappen,
right up to the last race." Now, a few months on, the 39-year-old
bursts out laughing when those comments are put to him. "That would
have been great if it had happened," he says in his latest
conversation with RacingNews365 . "That was kind of my gut feeling
and, of course, the wish was kind of the father of the thought.
"You just hope that if Hamilton makes such a move to Ferrari it
will be a success," he adds before highlighting the disparity in
performance between the 105-time grand prix winner and Charles
Leclerc. "But fair's fair, he has had a slap around the ears from
his team-mate - and hard as well." Facing a new generation The
Monegasque driver has outscored Hamilton 47 points to 31 so far
this campaign, including taking the Scuderia's first podium of the
season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. When asked what is going
wrong for the 105-time grand prix winner at the Prancing Horse, Van
der Garde zeroes in on one key factor. "Confidence," the former
Caterham F1 driver says. "That's the main thing. When he came into
Formula 1, he was a cannon, young and eager. "He came in next to
Fernando Alonso and later he knew with Nico Rosberg [at Mercedes]
that he actually had the upper hand - he had beaten him fairly
easily since karting." However, times have changed - and so have
the drivers Hamilton is competing against, save for Alonso, who is
still going strong at 43 years of age. "He's facing a different
generation now," Van der Garde points out. "He's getting older and
also took a hit when he didn't manage to take that eighth world
title. "Then for years he didn't have the car to compete at the
front, although he did show some good races last year. At
Silverstone, of course, he did produced a super performance. "But
as I said, he is also facing a younger generation that knows how to
handle the driving techniques of the current generation of cars a
little better than Hamilton has learned. I think at the moment
that's a problem he can't get out of." Can Hamilton turn it around?
Hamilton has struggled to get to grips with the current -
contemporary ground effects - generation of F1 cars. It is
something Van der Garde, who is a year younger than the Ferrari
driver, can empathise with, given they came up through the ranks at
the same time. "Of course I know a little bit about how I grew up
and the driving style that was rammed into us, which is different
from the generation of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George
Russell and Lando Norris," he explains. "They just drive
differently, a bit rounder and can deal with a loose rear end a bit
easier. "I think if we went back to the generation [of F1 cars]
from about five or six years ago, he would still be superior. But
with the new generation he just struggles more." Van der Garde,
having raced against Hamilton in F1 in 2013, believes the British
driver can still find a way to turn the tide on his errant form.
"You don't change your driving style overnight," he states. "You
can try something here and there, but you still fall back on your
base. But if he can get it turned around with a car that is stable
at the back, then he can get back into the game. He's still really
super fast, of course."
