Nigel Mansell, 1992 world champion and former Ferrari driver, predicts a successful year for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and, more generally, a competitive season in Formula 1.
After 12 seasons and 6 world titles with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has decided to join Ferrari. The move, for a 40-year-old driver and a team without a title since 2008, may seem risky, but it has been widely praised by industry experts, including Nigel Mansell, the 1992 world champion with Williams and a former Ferrari driver.
Mansell arrived in Maranello in 1989 at the age of 35 (five years younger than Hamilton) and secured a fourth and a fifth place in the Drivers’ Championship during his two seasons with the Prancing Horse. His compatriot Hamilton aims to surpass his predecessor and has started his adventure in red with the right mindset.
A day of testing at Fiorano, two in Barcelona, and finally, three official days in Bahrain alongside all the other teams. After the three-day session in the Sakhir desert, Hamilton shared positive feedback on his experience: “These are my best sensations in the past four years,” he explained at the end of testing. “So far, everything has been fantastic—the first month couldn’t have gone any better.” And to Time, he added: “Retirement is not in my plans; I could stay in Formula 1 until I’m 50. I’m focused on one thing: winning.” .
At the F1 75 Live event in London, before the Bahrain testing, Nigel Mansell commented on Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari. “Hamilton at Ferrari is the missing step towards his eighth title. I have to say, it’s fantastic. He has most of the fans on his side, myself included. I think he can do it—it’s a very exciting challenge for him and for Ferrari.” And, expanding the view to Formula 1 in general, he added: “It will be a fantastic year to follow, we all can’t wait.”
In an interview with Mail Sport, he continued: “Ferrari hasn’t won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships for too long: I really hope that with Leclerc and Hamilton, they can break the drought. Hamilton victorious in his debut in Australia [Mansell won in his first race with Ferrari, at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix]?”For him, it would be a dream come true. “.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari HP Media Centre
