Mar.7 (GMM) All of the hype surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari is unlikely to translate right into a world championship.
That’s the view of Purple Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko, who thinks McLaren is the clear favorite heading into Melbourne, with Purple Bull on their heels.
“Ferrari is, in line with our calculations, the third strongest pressure, simply forward of Mercedes,” the Austrian advised RTL.
“And in Bahrain, (Charles) Leclerc was clearly sooner than Hamilton. However that’s regular,” Marko defined. “He (Leclerc) is aware of the group, he is aware of the automobile.
“Hamilton drove a number of laps and progressively improved, however he wasn’t fairly at Leclerc’s degree. Nevertheless it’s early days.
“We all know that Hamilton can enhance supernaturally, however it is also the case that if the components don’t line up and he sees no likelihood of successful, his motivation will drop slightly.”
Ferrari group boss Frederic Vasseur admitted on the Milan avenue occasion on Thursday that the brand new 2025 automobile is “two or three tenths” off McLaren’s final tempo.
“They’re in a greater place than us,” he stated. “That is the final 12 months of the present rules and efficiency positive factors have gotten more and more troublesome to attain.
“It’s true that we scored essentially the most factors within the final eight races of 2024, however they (McLaren) had an actual efficiency benefit that they didn’t exploit as a lot as they need to have on account of small issues or missed alternatives.
“But when we are able to acquire two or three tenths, we’ll have each likelihood.”
Ralf Schumacher, in the meantime, thinks the comparisons between his older brother’s arrival at Ferrari in 1996 to Hamilton’s first season in crimson are vast of the mark.
“When Michael went to Ferrari, he was not solely the present world champion, but additionally the acknowledged finest driver. Neither of these items applies to Lewis anymore,” Ralf advised Sky Deutschland.
“However, Michael nonetheless wanted 5 laborious years to win his first Ferrari title. Lewis doesn’t have that point.”
Schumacher additionally thinks the fickle Italian press will solely give Hamilton six months to stand up to hurry. “If issues aren’t going nicely by then, all this euphoria will rapidly flip into criticism,” stated the German.
As for Leclerc, Vasseur sees no danger that the strain may also weigh notably closely on the 27-year-old’s shoulders this 12 months.
“From day one, I used to be satisfied that Charles would solely profit from Lewis’ arrival,” stated the Frenchman. “Possibly it’s going to take some strain off him and he’ll have the ability to focus extra on himself.”
Schumacher, in the meantime, agrees with those that suppose McLaren might be about to knock Purple Bull and Max Verstappen off their perches in 2025.
“Pierre Wache isn’t any Adrian Newey,” he stated. “Max must get used to the concept that every thing ends sometime. I don’t suppose he has an opportunity this season, no.
“Possibly it’s going to assist him determine what to do subsequent, however both manner, it is going to be a troublesome choice.”
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