Lewis Hamilton declared earlier in the month that he would be racing for Ferrari next season. The seven-time champion’s 12-year association with the Silver Arrows will come to an end with this. A former team principal has added his perspective in light of this. Guenther Steiner, the former head of Haas, believes Lewis Hamilton made the right decision by joining Ferrari the following year.
According to Motorsport.com, Steiner stated during his interview with Sky Sports F1.
“In 2026 there will be completely new rules for the engine and the chassis, so the cars will be rebuilt. If he is lucky and things go in the right direction, and Ferrari produces a good car, it could be that he wins his eighth title there.”
In the past, Steiner contrasted Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes switch with his Ferrari move. It was noteworthy that the Briton made a high-profile move to join the Silver Arrows considering the squad wasn’t winning at the time. Still, a year after he joined, his decision turned out to be a good one. This was due to the fact that the team won eight straight titles, and Hamilton won six driver championships while competing for the team.
Hamilton has made the decision to rejoin a squad that isn’t currently at the top yet again. Steiner finds it interesting that the 39-year-old is taking a new risk with this decision, one that could work out well for him.
Regarding Ferrari, since the end of 2023, the team has been gaining ground. Steiner claims that it is unclear if Hamilton would compete for the championship with Ferrari in 2025.
However, the Italian pointed out that new engine restrictions might make Ferrari a team to take the lead in 2026. Steiner has predicted Hamilton’s future before, so his predictions are not totally fresh, but Mercedes would be the only team to take a bet on the British driver.
Regarding other teams’ readiness to make place for Lewis Hamilton, what did Guenther Steiner say?
Over the previous two years, Mercedes has encountered numerous difficulties. The Brackley team chose the incorrect development route in 2023, while porpoising caused problems for them in 2022. There was a lot of speculation at the time over Hamilton’s future with the Silver Arrows. Notably, Steiner claimed that the Briton couldn’t do any better than Mercedes in the midst of the speculations.
Red Bull was the only team, in Steiner’s opinion, that could compete with Mercedes. But according to the 58-year-old, Milton Keynes was more preoccupied with funding Hamilton’s opponent, Max Verstappen. Because Hamilton was approaching the end of his career, Steiner thought Mercedes was the only team that could fit him.
