Lewis Hamilton finally made his debut with Ferrari at Fiorano this week, taking to the track in front of thousands of adoring fans.
Ferrari fans had been waiting nearly a year to catch a glimpse of Hamilton in red, after he sensationally announced his departure from Mercedes last year.
Hamilton posted images of himself outside of Enzo Ferrari’s old house along with an F40 road car, teasing his debut to fans. The image subsequently became the most-liked F1-related on social media, surpassing the record held by Charles Leclerc.
Around 3,000 Ferrari fans showed up for the occasion, with Hamilton completing 30 laps on dry tyres. There were no issues for the seven-time world champion, kicking everything off to a good start.
There is a lot of anticipation over whether Hamilton can produce an eighth world title, however, Martin Brundle thinks there is one reason why he might find it difficult when speaking on Sky Sports.
Martin Brundle thinks Lewis Hamilton has ‘lost the edge’
Hamilton is expected to have a competitive car at Ferrari based on their performance towards the end of last year, but there are question marks over the seven-time world champions form.
Although he hasn’t had a competitive car at Mercedes in the last three years, Brundle has outlined why Hamilton, now 40 years old, has lost his edge.
“Do I think the best of Lewis Hamilton is ahead or behind him? I think it’s behind him. I think he’s lost the edge, sometimes he gets in scuffles he used to emerge out in front of,” said Brundle.
“He doesn’t now or he’ll make a mistake in qualifying. But I think 96/97% of Lewis Hamilton in a winning car is good enough.”
Can Lewis Hamilton win an eighth world title at Ferrari?
Hamilton would be the first driver since Jack Brabham in 1966 to win a title at 40 years old, with only Juan Manuel Fangio and Giuseppe Farina managing the same feat.
History dictates that it will be almost impossible at the current level of F1, and Hamilton did start to show signs that his speed was waning in qualifying.
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He’ll largely be counting on his experience in races, as one-lap specialise Charles Leclerc is expected to blitz him in qualifying. Nico Rosberg thinks Leclerc will beat Hamilton, while Peter Windsor outlined reasons why the Briton will find it tougher at Ferrari compared to Mercedes.
Hamilton has also been told that he must take inspiration from his old mentor Niki Lauda, who defied odds against a young Alain Prost to win the title in 1984.
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