Helmut Marko believes that Lewis Hamilton could become a threat in the Championship if he rediscovers his best form. The 81-year-old outlines that Hamilton should not be discounted this year, arguing that Ferrari could motivate the British driver to perform at his best.
Assuming that Ferrari’s SF-25 is a strong step forward from its predecessor, the 7-time Champion could face off against Max Verstappen once again.
Rivals weary of Hamilton-Ferrari combination
Amidst all the excitement surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s debut season at Ferrari, it is easy to forget the Scuderia have enjoyed a very strong driver line-up for some time.
Carlos Sainz, who is now at Williams, was a consistent performer for Ferrari since arriving in 2021.
The Spaniard, though perhaps lacking Charles Leclerc’s raw pace, was regularly in touching distance with the Monegasque – claiming several victories for the Maranello squad.
Because of this, it cannot be said that team principal Fred Vasseur replaced him because of poor performance.
Instead, it was Ferrari’s conviction that Hamilton could complete one of F1’s strongest ever line-ups alongside Leclerc.
There is no denying that, at their best, Ferrari’s combination can achieve tremendous results.
Whilst there will inevitably be potential moments of friction, the Scuderia believe that having two top drivers is a strength – not a weakness.
Last year’s constructors battle, where Red Bull missed out amidst Perez’s struggles, seems strong enough evidence that two top drivers are needed to be competitive in both Championships.
Still, for all the anticipation for Hamilton’s debut, there remain key question marks.
Following a difficult final campaign at Mercedes, the 40-year-old is under immense pressure to silence any suggestions his best days are behind him.
With testing in modern F1 so limited, getting up to speed in the SF-25 certainly won’t be an easy task.
Carlos Sainz has estimated it will take several months before he can fully optimise his FW47.
Marko: Hamilton can still perform at high level
Despite this, Zak Brown and now Helmut Marko have warned against underestimating Hamilton:
“I would be cautious about that [writing off Hamilton],” Helmut Marko told OE24.
“If Hamilton is motivated, he can continue where he left off in 2021. The comeback he delivered back then was impressive.
“The Ferrari has to be competitive, though. And Hamilton has to get qualifying right, that was never his strength.
“If he loses two or three tenths to Leclerc, he always has to work his way up a few starting positions. That puts a strain on the tyres.”
In typical fashion, Helmut Marko made sure to underline that “Max is definitely the best driver.”
As Marko touched upon, there are few doubts about Lewis Hamilton’s race pace.
Despite his very vocal frustrations at Mercedes last year, there were numerous events where he would compensate for a disappointing qualifying and catch up to teammate George Russell over a race distance.
The big test for Hamilton, most likely, will be to match Charles Leclerc in ualifying.
This is the area where the British driver must perform at his best to assert himself at the Scuderia.
Should he achieve this, Ferrari’s line-up could become a truly formidable pairing in 2025.
