Latest news with #AfterLap
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lewis Hamilton To Leave Ferrari: Former F1 Drivers
Read the full story on Backfire News A former Formula One driver claims to know Lewis Hamilton already plans to quit the Scuderia Ferrari team. That shocking allegation, so people understandably are talking about it and will probably continue debating whether it's true or not as the season progresses, especially if Hamilton's performance doesn't on the After Lap podcast, Jaime Alguersuari who raced for Red Bull's Toro Rosso from 2009 to 2011, made the bold prediction, following it up by saying, 'I don't know why I'm taking a risk by saying this.' However, Alguersuari didn't say he had some special insider info that Hamilton's quitting Ferrari at the end of the season is a done deal. Instead, he just said he has 'the feeling' it's going to happen, reports Hamilton must have caught wind of the declaration. At a recent event held in London, the driver made it clear he's not about to leave Scuderia Ferrari in the dust. 'Please keep your fingers crossed,' he reportedly said. 'I'm not going to give up. We're going to keep getting better. Still we rise, right?' While Alguersuari's statements might just be chalked up to idle speculation, the former F1 driver went on to insinuate Scuderia Ferrari is actually holding Hamilton back. '… it is not a winning team,' he said, going on to say Hamilton would have a hard time bagging his eighth world title driving for Maranello. A second former F1 driver, Ralf Schumacher, who competed from 1997 to 2007, also seems to think Hamilton will call it quits with Scuderia Ferrari. He pointed out problems with the SF-25, saying Lewis 'just can't cope with the car.' That alone, he claims, is reason for the seven-time world champion to walk and find a new team. Schumacher thinks things will go down gradually at first. Then at some point, he wakes up in the morning and thinks to himself: 'Why am I doing this to myself? I'm no longer having fun, I can't do it anymore. I'm getting in the way of my team,'' he said. 'If it goes on like this, there's a risk that at some point he'll say: 'Look, I don't want this anymore. I want to live my life now, I'm 40 years old. I'm so rich, I'm not doing this to myself anymore. Obviously, it's not working out for some reason.'' Interestingly, both former F1 drivers claim to know what Lewis Hamilton is thinking and feeling instead of saying they heard a rumor. Since they're part of an elite club, perhaps they do know what's going through the man's head right now? We might find out at the end of this season if something doesn't change in a big way. Image via Scuderia Ferrari HP/Facebook
News.com.au
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘He's going to leave': Hamilton tipped to shockingly depart Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to shockingly quit Ferrari. The seven-time world champion is still waiting for his first podium finish this season amid a tough start to life at his new team, The Sun reports. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during racing. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But despite being just five races into his two-year deal, Red Bull's former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari believes Hamilton will quit Ferrari. Alguersuari, who featured in 46 F1 races between 2009 and 2011, made the shock call on the After Lap podcast. 'I have the feeling that Hamilton, he's going to leave,' he said. 'I don't know why I'm taking a risk by saying this. 'But I have the feeling that he's like, his time has passed, that he's already won a lot, that he's already won everything and that he's saying: 'OK, I've gone to Ferrari to try and see what happens in 2026.'' Ferrari last won a constructors' title 17 years ago and Alguersuari seemed to suggest joining them was a poor move for Hamilton if he wants to surpass Michael Schumacher's seven world titles. 'Ferrari is not a winning team. A team is a team that wins races, but it is not a winning team. They have not won since 2008,' he said. 'They may have a competitive car, they may have a competitive team, but they don't have a winning team. There is a difference.' Alguersuari wasn't the only former driver to believe Hamilton could pull the pin with Ralf Schumacher also stating 2025 might be his final year. 'He just can't cope with the car. We talk a lot about Lando Norris, but it's almost worse with him,' Schumacher said on the Backstage Pit Lane podcast. 'You can see that he's really slumped over. If you're standing there at some point and have no more resources and are permanently slower, then you lose everything. 'I know from my own experience: if it goes on like this, it's no fun anymore. 'Then at some point, he wakes up in the morning and thinks to himself: 'Why am I doing this to myself? I'm no longer having fun, I can't do it anymore. I'm getting in the way of my team.' 'If it goes on like this, there's a risk that at some point he'll say: 'Look, I don't want this anymore. I want to live my life now, I'm 40 years old. I'm so rich, I'm not doing this to myself anymore. Obviously it's not working out for some reason.' 'It's a huge project that Ferrari and Hamilton had in mind, but at the moment he's a long way away from Charles Leclerc. 'I wouldn't have thought it would be so extreme. 'However, China also showed that as soon as he gets into the car and the track and the car suit him, he delivers. 'There's still something to come.' Hamilton was keen to put any talk of him walking away to bed as he set the record straight at an event in London. 'Please keep your fingers crossed. I'm not going to give up,' he said. 'We're going to keep getting better. Still we rise, right?' Alguersuari and Schumacher's comments come after Hamilton cut a frustrated figure after finishing seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Brit revealed he did 'not have an answer' as to why things are going wrong at the moment. He claimed there were 'zero' positives and that the race was 'horrible' and 'not enjoyable'. Hamilton went on to say: 'At the moment, there's no fix. This is how it's going to be for the rest of the year. It's just going to be painful.'
