Damon Hill expressed his sadness to see Lewis Hamilton in difficulty for several months at Ferrari. During the Hungarian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion was very violent with himself saying that the Scuderia should change pilot. The 1996 F1 World Champion
“I am sad to see Sir Lewis also shot” Who wonders about the possibility of seeing Hamilton retire. “It is difficult to know when it is time. Another year? It becomes more difficult. Maybe a good break is essential?”
Hill thinks that the difficulty of adaptation should not be underestimated to a new team after more than a decade spent in the same structure, and he thinks that it is precisely the duration of his previous contract which makes this change more delicate.
“We can understand why people think that we can, if you are fast, just jump in the car and off you go. But these cars are so complicated. When you spent 10 years at Mercedes to do things in a certain way, it takes a lot of time to get out of this way of thinking.”
“All the buttons are in different places. There are lots of things you have to think about. The way the brakes work and the feeling of the car, all this is foreign to you. And not to mention the fact that many people speak Italian, and he does not speak this language.”
According to the Briton, what makes Hamilton’s situation difficult is the pressure he puts on his shoulders: “It is difficult to integrate, and he has a lot of pressure on the shoulders. I know he is now over 40 years old.”
“And it is a septuple, even octuple world champion. Nevertheless, you always feel this pressure. He wants to succeed. It is really hard when you have made a bad qualification and that you have all this responsibility. No matter the experience you have. This is a difficult test.”
And if Hill says “ocuple”, it is because he considers that the Crown 2021 should have returned to Hamilton, without the error of the race director Michael Masi who had allowed Max Verstappen to win by not respecting the procedures to avoid an end of race under Safety Car.
“For me and many fans, he already has 8. This eighth title that did not materialize should have been in 2021. But on the other hand, some say that he should have lost in 2008 against Felipe Massa. But I think he should have won in his first year. So, for me, he has at least 8.”
Asked about the struggle between Hamilton and Verstappen that year, Hill thinks that the approach of the two men is different, and that the Dutch has done more reprehensible things than his rival. Nevertheless, he salutes the ability they had to compete against each other at such a high level.
“These are two different types of pilots. I don’t think Lewis is really aware of the extent of his natural talent. He is gifted by nature and has an extraordinary talent for driving and a passion for the race. He always wants to run.”
“I think these are mainly personality differences between them. Lewis was able to compete from the start, just like Max. Max is a more aggressive pilot than Lewis on the track. Lewis did something from time to time, but it’s much rarer.”