Ferrari’s F44 has made Lewis Hamilton furious: here’s why the seven-time world champion is angry
Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari continues to swing between contrasts — enormous expectations, results that are more low than high, and increasingly heavy behind-the-scenes stories. The latest comes from Giorgio Terruzzi, who revealed on his podcast a detail that is sure to spark debate.
Apparently, the Briton was informed of the cancellation of a “special edition” Ferrari F44 inspired by the seven-time world champion’s car — a model Hamilton believed would officially enter Maranello’s production cycle.
“Assurances to Hamilton,” then the U-turn…
According to Terruzzi, Hamilton had not only been told about the initiative, but had been given concrete reassurances from within Ferrari. The idea was to create a celebratory model — a bridge between the new era in red and the global image of the British driver, someone capable on his own of moving markets and trends. A full-scale marketing strategy, uniting brand and driver in an exclusive and surely iconic product.
But something quickly… cracked. The project, Terruzzi reports, “got lost” in the decision-making labyrinth of the Prancing Horse, eventually disappearing from the company’s industrial plans. An abrupt cancellation, without real warning, which supposedly made Hamilton “go ballistic,” since he expected the promise to be kept.
For Sir Lewis — known for his almost maniacal attention to image and for being accustomed to tailor-made projects during his time at Mercedes — Ferrari’s step back was experienced as a slight.
The result is a new point of friction in an already delicate phase: Hamilton is still trying to find full technical and political harmony with Maranello, and seeing a project he felt was his crumble only increases the tension (already high, as shown yesterday).
And in that sense… his Sunday words in Las Vegas are a little worrying.
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari HP
