Formula 1 News: Hamilton has become Ferrari’s ‘White Elephant’

(GMM) An interesting contractual detail surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari is the latest excuse to explain the seven time world champion’s current struggle.

Some insiders are predicting that the 40-year-old’s performance has been so alarming recently that he has become Ferrari’s ‘White Elephant’ and could announce his retirement as early as mid-season.

A “white elephant” is a metaphor for something expensive to maintain but of little practical use or value to its owner. Hamilton is paid a rumored $55 million per year by Ferrari but is getting crushed by his teammate in identical equipment.

Leading Italian F1 technical journalist Paolo Filisetti, writing in La Gazzetta dello Sport, thinks Hamilton’s decline has coincided with an increase in form and comfort on the other side of the garage – Charles Leclerc’s.

“His (Leclerc’s) statements at the end of the race highlighted how his driving with the SF-25 was now becoming automatic, allowing him to extract the maximum potential from the car,” Filisetti wrote.

At precisely the same time, in the words of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, the reverse is happening with Hamilton. “Lewis seems desperate and confused, both in what he says and in his body language,” he said.

Filisetti thinks Ferrari could be “at a crossroads” where efforts to help Hamilton acclimatize could shift to aggressively developing the 2025 car in Leclerc’s direction.

According to Corriere dello Sport, a contractual clause affecting Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari could help to explain the British driver’s adaptation to life at the wheel of a Maranello-made cockpit.

“A clause inserted in the agreement prevents Ferrari from contacting anyone at Mercedes about going to Ferrari,” the Italian newspaper claims.

“Lewis Hamilton has therefore been totally isolated from the German team, leaving him to interface only with unfamiliar engineers without the possibility of help from old acquaintances.”

Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who is now back with the team as reserve driver, told the Italian portal automoto.it: “It is clearly a big change, after a long experience like his with Mercedes, working with the same people.

“At Ferrari it is a totally different culture – an Italian one – compared to the Anglo-German one at Mercedes.”

Bottas has personal experience of a similar transition, having moved from Mercedes to the Ferrari-powered Sauber (then Alfa Romeo) team some years ago.

But when asked how difficult his adaptation proved, in terms of the kind of braking and engine differences Hamilton has talked about, the Finn explained: “It wasn’t that difficult.

“I don’t think the differences are that big, apart from something minor regarding driveability. The most complicated part is the basics, since even the names for things are different. But after that, it can be managed without too much difficulty.”

Bottas says even driving style isn’t too much of an issue.

“Minimal,” he said, “especially in terms of gear changes and engine braking. “But everything is adjustable, and you can find a solution that makes you feel comfortable.”

Appearing to back the theory about the Hamilton contract clause, the 35-year-old continued: “The most difficult thing about changing teams is working with different people.

“Ultimately, this sport is about human performance – teamwork. You really have to understand the people you work with. How to give your best and get the same out of them.”