Hamilton 'would have won' the title with Ferrari in 2018
Hamilton 'would have won' the title with Ferrari in 2018
Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo believes that Lewis Hamilton performed his best season since his debut in the 2018 Formula 1 campaign, and reckons that he would have won the championship even if he was driving for the Prancing Horse rather than Mercedes.
Hamilton was embroiled in a fierce battle with Sebastian Vettel this season, particularly in the first half of the campaign, but after the summer break Ferrari suffered from a downturn in form which allowed the Brit, and Mercedes, to go on and claim their respective titles.
Montezemolo is eager not to lay the blame for Ferrari's failures on Vettel, but thinks the team would have won had they had Hamilton in their ranks.
"This year Hamilton made the difference in his best season since his debut," the Italian said.
"He has had moments of weakness and crisis, but this year with Ferrari he would have won. I say that not to belittle Vettel, who has every opportunity to rebuild with a competitive car."
Montezemolo still considers Vettel to be one of the best drivers on the grid, but insists that Ferrari need to do more to support the German, even if he did make high-profile mistakes.
"Ferrari did a good car this year, which in some situations was even better than Mercedes. But the final part was missing," he continued.
"Vettel made some decisive mistakes, but for the world championship you have to do everything to keep him up. He is a driver of the highest order and always close to the team.
"In frustration he must be supported, even more so with the arrival of a very strong boy (Charles Leclerc) with a great future.
"[Michael] Schumacher also made mistakes in the first days, but it is always important to speak clearly in the locker room and support the team in public."
Vettel finished second in the drivers' championship for 2018, and after the departure of Kimi Raikkonen from Ferrari, he will be joined by Leclerc for 2019.
MORE: Silverstone won't be held to ransom by Liberty Media
MORE: Nicolas Hamilton: Lewis and I not born with 'silver spoon' in our mouths
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 champion SLAMS 'pointless' motorsport crossover
- 17 minutes ago
Why Adrian Newey is the BEST and WORST thing to happen to F1
- 1 hour ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- 1 hour ago
Adrian Newey: The real F1 MVP and genius behind Red Bull domination
- 3 hours ago
- 1
EXCLUSIVE: F1 legend injured in 95G horror crash at Imola '94 praises FIA safety advances
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Newey Red Bull exit timeline CONFIRMED as Verstappen in quit THREAT
- 3 hours ago
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860