Hamilton backed to catalyse Ferrari to first title since 2008

Ferrari legend Rob Smedley has said that Lewis Hamilton can be the catalyst that propels the team to their first world constructors' title in over a decade.

The Scuderia have not won the team competition since 2008, with Kimi Raikkonen the last Ferrari driver to claim victory in the drivers' championship back in 2007.

In recent years the team have shown pace in qualifying, yet have failed to convert that into regular race wins.

Yet with Hamilton now teaming up with Charles Leclerc from 2025, Smedley thinks that could all be about to change.

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Smedley: Hamilton can be Ferrari catalyst

“I think Lewis definitely can be a catalyst for crystallising the team around him or around him and Charles [Leclerc]," he told F1.com.

"Sometimes a Formula 1 team just needs something to help them put in that extra one per cent and when you’re putting in 110 per cent, putting in that extra one or two per cent makes a massive difference.

“It's the same as what happened with Red Bull after their fallow period – once you start to win, it actually becomes difficult to stop. You've got to almost make specific interventions for it to stop, like breaking up the team, key drivers leaving, or stuff like that. That's how periods of domination stop.

“But you see, once it gets a sniff of winning and it's got instrumental people within that team – people like Lewis, who are just winning machines and are driven to win, weekend in, weekend out – if you’ve got those people leading your team, it becomes difficult to lose. I think that's what we may see with Ferrari.”

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