Lewis Hamilton is getting used to calling himself a Ferrari driver after lapping Fiorano yet Tom Coronel believes he should consider leaving Formula 1 if one thing happens.
The seven-time drivers’ champion has ticked another item off his bucket list this year with a move to Maranello. There was not much left in F1 for Hamilton to achieve at Mercedes had he stayed, so will try to eclipse Michael Schumacher by winning his eighth title with Ferrari.
His life for the Scuderia is even already underway with Hamilton impressing at Ferrari’s test track Fiorano by displaying his brilliant car control in freezing and foggy conditions. The 40-year-old will have a chance to try Ferrari’s 2024 car in a Pirelli test at Barcelona in February.
Tom Coronel tells Lewis Hamilton to ‘disappear’ if Ferrari deliver his eighth F1 title
Leaving Mercedes for Ferrari after 12 largely successful seasons in Brackley is all about that elusive eighth Formula 1 drivers’ championship for Hamilton, however. The Stevenage-born star was one lap away from sealing his eighth title in 2021 and will now look for it at Ferrari.
READ MORE: Seven best drives of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career ahead of Ferrari move
And should Hamilton win a record-breaking eighth F1 title with Ferrari, then Coronel thinks he ought to instantly ‘disappear’ from Formula 1 and motorsport entirely. The Dutchman is of the belief that Hamilton should pursue his interests outside of racing and leave on a high.
Coronel told RacingNews365: “Ferrari is just your final destination. Become world champion next year and disappear. I think Ferrari had the strongest car at the end of the year, if you look at the entire combination.
“I can well imagine that if Hamilton still wants to tick off number eight, he has a better chance at Ferrari than at Mercedes. At the end of last season, they were the strongest. So, then I would say, ‘Just start strong in 2025 and just finish it off’.”
The Dutchman added: “But then Hamilton also has to have the balls to say, ‘I have done what I wanted to achieve. I drove for Ferrari and became world champion again. I am going to start a different life and am out of motorsport’. Then he ends with a high point.”
F1’s 2026 regulations give Lewis Hamilton a reason to not retire after 2025
Hamilton would not be the first Formula 1 driver to retire immediately after winning a title if he were to listen to Coronel’s suggestion and ‘disappear’ from the grid should joining Ferrari yield his eighth title. Nico Rosberg was the last driver to do so after beating him to it in 2016.
READ MORE: The five worst moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1
But it is likely to be unlikely that Hamilton calls it quits at the top as the Briton agreed to sign an initial two-year contract with the option for a third to seal his switch to the Scuderia. The deal will also see Ferrari pay Hamilton a base £39m a season, also rising to potentially £83m.
Signing up for at least two seasons was not only an indication of Hamilton’s commitment to Ferrari but his curiosity for what impact Formula 1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations will have on the grid. If Ferrari ace the new regulations, Hamilton’s ninth title may await in 2026.
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