
Hamilton takes matters into his own hands to 'gee up' Ferrari
"If you look at the team over the last 20 years, they've had amazing drivers like Kimi (Raikkonen), Fernando and Sebastian, all world champions, but they (Alonso and Vettel) didn't win a world championship with Ferrari -- and I refuse for that to be the case with me," he said.
"So I am going the extra mile and I've been fortunate to have experiences in two other great teams -- and whilst things will be different because of the culture, if you take the same path, you will get the same results."
Hamilton added: "I am trying to create allies in the organisation and get them geed up. I am here to win, and this is crunch time for me.
"I truly believe in the potential of the team. I really believe they can win multiple world championships moving forward. They already have an amazing legacy, but... during my time, that is my sole goal."
Raikkonen was Ferrari's last drivers' champion in Hamilton's maiden season in Formula One in 2007, while their most recent constructors' title came the following season when the now 40-year-old Briton won his first individual title with McLaren.
Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes and went on to win six more drivers' championships before joining Ferrari this year.
He and team-mate Charles Leclerc have struggled and are without a win, while Hamilton is without a podium success at the halfway stage of the 24-race campaign.
Hamilton revealed these results pushed him to hold meetings with Ferrari chairman John Elkann, Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna and team boss Fred Vasseur, having prepared his own detailed documents.
"The reason is that I see a huge amount of potential within this team," he said. "Nothing comes close to the passion, but it is a huge organisation and there are a lot of moving parts, not all of which are firing on all cylinders.
"Ultimately, that is why the team has not had the success I think it deserves and so I feel it is my job to challenge every area, to challenge everybody in the team, and particularly the guys at the top, making decisions."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Sesko completes Manchester United's new-look forward line-up
The 22-year-old's arrival from RB Leipzig, in a deal reported to be worth up to £74 million (85 million euros, $99 million), completes an overhaul of the Red Devils' attack that failed to fire last season. Only four other teams scored fewer than United's 44 goals in 38 Premier League games last season as the English giants endured their worst campaign for 51 years, finishing 15th in the table. Sesko, who has scored 16 goals in 41 international appearances, is United's third major attacking signing following the recruitment of Matheus Cunha for £62.5m from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo, who joined from Brentford for £65m with £6m in add-ons. "Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Benjamin Sesko has joined the club, subject to registration," read a club statement. The five-year contract includes a guaranteed payment of £66.3million, with the remainder in add-ons, according to reports. "The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future," said Sesko. 'When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon." Sesko had also been linked with Newcastle, but once again Eddie Howe's League Cup winners failed to land their target despite being able to offer European football this season, unlike Manchester United. Howe had seen Sesko as a ready-made replacement for unhappy Swedish striker Alexander Isak, who has been a target for champions Liverpool. 'Exceptional young talents' Sesko, though, said he felt a vibrancy at United as they seek to rebound from a desperately disappointing 2024-2025 campaign under 40-year-old Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim. "From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created," he said. "It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions. "I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together." Sesko had also previously been linked with Arsenal after impressing during his two-year spell in Germany, where he scored 39 times in 87 appearances for Leipzig, including 21 goals last season. Standing 1.95 metres (6ft 4ins) tall, Sesko's towering physique, electric pace and eye for goal have earned comparisons with Manchester City's Erling Haaland. Like Haaland, he also made his name at RB Salzburg before moving to Germany in 2023. United are banking on Sesko realising his abundant potential to fire them back into contention at the top of the Premier League table. Between them, Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo combined for 58 goals last season. The massive outlay on their arrivals needs to bear fruit quickly with United under pressure to meet financial sustainability rules, especially without the revenue of European football this season. Sesko's arrival is likely to presage the departure of Rasmus Hojlund, whose plight might provide a salutary tale for the Slovenian. The 23-year-old Danish forward arrived with similarly high hopes but has failed to deliver and is reportedly subject to interest from Serie A side AC Milan. Sesko though has convinced United's director of football Jason Wilcox that he has the attributes to help propel United back into title contention. "Benjamin possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders, making him one of the most exceptional young talents in world football," said Wilcox.


France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Football: Chelsea dominates Bayer Leverkusen
05:59 From the show In their first pre-season match since winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea dominated Bayer Leverkusen (2-0). In his first appearance with the Blues, young star Estevao scored the first goal of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo also took advantage of a friendly match to add another hat-trick to his collection against Portuguese club Rio Ave. Finally, Norway's Alexander Kristoff won the second stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, his 98th professional victory.


France 24
18 hours ago
- France 24
Chelsea's Broja joins Burnley on five-year deal
No fee was disclosed but British media reports said Burnley would be paying Premier League rivals Chelsea an initial £10 million ($13.4 million), with a potential further £5 million ($6.7 million) in add-ons. Broja moved to Chelsea from Tottenham aged just eight in 2009 before moving through the Blues' academy all the way up to the first-team, where he made 38 appearances and scored nine goals. But Broja -- an English-born striker who represents Albania, his parents' country -- has had several loan spells away from Stamford Bridge, most recently at Everton last season. The Toffees, however, decided against making the transfer permanent and with Chelsea spending big money to recruit forwards Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, Broja has decided to leave Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old, who has also played for Southampton and Fulham in the Premier League, said in a statement: "I am really excited to be here as a Burnley player. It's a really positive time to be joining this club ahead of the start of the new Premier League season. I can't wait to get going. "I'm feeling good, I'm ready and I'm excited about the challenge of playing for this club. I can tell you all that I will be giving my all every time I pull on the famous claret shirt." Burnley have also signed Bashir Humphreys and Lesley Ugochukwu in the off-season as they look to bolster their squad on their return to English football's top-flight.