Lewis Hamilton seems to enjoy a strong relationship with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali. He’s been telling the Italian about what he’s doing behind the scenes at new team Ferrari.
Domenicali signed a new long-term contract this week that will keep him in his post until at least 2029. Commercial rights holders Liberty Media have clearly been satisfied with the job he’s done so far.
Speaking in the pre-race press conference at the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton said ‘thank god’ in relation to the Domenicali announcement. This comes amid tension between the drivers and FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Domenicali was the team principal of Ferrari between 2008 and 2014. That means he was in charge during Hamilton’s famous title battle with Felipe Massa.
Massa is trying to overturn the 2008 championship, which ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Scuderia. The Brazilian thought he’d won it at the season finale – his home race – only for Hamilton to pass Timo Glock seconds before the end of the race.
That hasn’t caused long-term damage to the relationship between Domenicali and Hamilton, though. Speaking to Martin Brundle on Sky Sports’ F1 Show, he addressed the 40-year-old’s momentous move to Maranello.
Lewis Hamilton told former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali about his desperation to succeed
Domenicali has to be ‘independent’ in his role, but he admits that he’d like to see Hamilton win races this year. He thinks it would benefit Ferrari, teammate Charles Leclerc and the sport as a whole.
Brundle thinks Hamilton can take multiple victories in his debut season. Ferrari are targeting their first constructors’ title since ’08, and their first drivers’ since ’07.
To that end, Hamilton has parked his motorhome at Maranello. That means he can start earlier and finish later at the factory, and have lunch with his new engineers too.
According to Domenicali, Hamilton already understands the symbolic importance of racing for Ferrari. Shortly before the start of the season, he and Leclerc attended a fan event in Milan in front of the Tifosi.
“He told me that he’s sleeping at Maranello,” Domenicali said. “He told me that he’s seen what Ferrari means for the people of Italy.
“I think it would be great [if he wins races]. I have to say with my independent cap, I think it will be good for the team, good for Charles to keep pushing himself and it will be great for the entire field of F1 teams.”
Lewis Hamilton is already experiencing one issue he ‘really doesn’t like’ at Ferrari
Hamilton’s first official day as an Ferrari driver during a Grand Prix weekend was somewhat underwhelming. He was, on average, around half a second slower than Leclerc.
BBC reporter Andrew Benson listened in to his radio and found that Hamilton was complaining ‘all day’ about understeer. He ‘really doesn’t like’ a car that lacks a compliant front end, though he can cope with rear instability.
At Mercedes, the seven-time world champion has been replaced by Domenicali’s compatriot Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old is about to become the third-youngest driver to start a race.
Hamilton shared a ‘really cool’ moment with Antonelli before the F1 press conference on Thursday. The youngster asked his former mentor a series of questions as he tries to learn as much as possible in his first GP weekend.
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