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Hamilton has prepared reports for Ferrari’s management to help secure their first world title since 2008. He aims to avoid Alonso and Vettel’s fate and drive the team to success.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. (X)
Lewis Hamilton disclosed on Thursday that he had compiled his reports to present to Ferrari’s top management in a series of recent meetings, aiming to drive the team towards securing their first world title since 2008.
The seven-time world champion shared during a news conference ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix that he was determined not to follow the path of other multiple world champions like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
“If you look at the team over the last 20 years, they’ve had incredible 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 stated.
“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 geared up. I am here to win and this is crunch time for me.
“I truly believe in the potential of the team. I 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 driver champion in Hamilton’s debut season in Formula One in 2007, while their most recent constructors’ title came the following year when the now 40-year-old Briton won his first individual title with McLaren.
Hamilton departed McLaren for Mercedes and went on to claim six more drivers’ championships before joining Ferrari this year.
He and team-mate Charles Leclerc have faced challenges, remaining winless, and Hamilton is without a podium finish halfway through the 24-race campaign.
These results prompted Hamilton to meet with Ferrari chairman John Elkann, Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna, and team boss Fred Vasseur, after preparing his comprehensive 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 hasn’t 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.”
With AFP Inputs
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- Location :
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
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