{"id":30921,"date":"2025-02-25T16:28:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T21:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=30921"},"modified":"2025-02-25T16:28:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T21:28:05","slug":"helmut-marko-hamilton-can-continue-where-he-left-off-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/25\/helmut-marko-hamilton-can-continue-where-he-left-off-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Helmut Marko: Hamilton “can continue where he left off” in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Helmut Marko<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Rivals weary of Hamilton-Ferrari combination<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Carlos Sainz<\/a>, who is now at Williams, was a consistent performer for Ferrari since arriving in 2021.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Because of this, it cannot be said that team principal Fred Vasseur replaced him because of poor performance.<\/p>\n

Instead, it was Ferrari’s conviction that Hamilton could complete one of\u00a0 F1’s strongest ever line-ups alongside Leclerc.<\/p>\n

There is no denying that, at their best, Ferrari’s combination can achieve tremendous results.<\/p>\n

Whilst there will inevitably be potential moments of friction, the Scuderia believe that having two top drivers is a strength – not a weakness.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Still, for all the anticipation for Hamilton’s debut, there remain key question marks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

With testing in modern F1 so limited, getting up to speed in the SF-25 certainly won’t be an easy task.<\/p>\n

Carlos Sainz has estimated it will take several months before he can fully optimise his FW47.<\/p>\n

Marko: Hamilton can still perform at high level<\/h4>\n

Despite this, Zak Brown and now Helmut Marko have warned against underestimating Hamilton:<\/p>\n

“I would be cautious about that [writing off Hamilton],” <\/em>Helmut Marko told OE24<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“If Hamilton is motivated, he can continue where he left off in 2021. The comeback he delivered back then was impressive.<\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>