Sir Lewis Hamilton has been unhappy with the Mercedes car since 2022. There was a time when he was the most dominant racer on the grid. Since he joined the Silver Arrows, there have been very few records left for him to break in the sport. That’s how epic the collaboration between him and the German outfit has been since 2013. The current reigning champions used to rule the grid from 2010 to 2013. Then came the Brackley team with a new team principal and new driver. Who knew what kind of storm would come next? But whatever happened made history in the sport. Mercedes won all the constructor titles from 2014 to 2021.
In that turbo-hybrid era, Lewis Hamilton won six Driver’s World Championships, adding to his maiden title with McLaren back in 2008. The Mercedes-Hamilton combination reached the summit of the F1 Motorsport. But then the regulations changed in 2022, and everything went downhill from there on for that same combo. For three years, Hamilton has been driving a car that has not allowed him to win a single race. Anyway, very early in 2024, the great English racer announced his switch to Ferrari next year. But still, he will drive the Mercedes W15 this ongoing season. However, an Italian sports journalist called Hamilton a “Taxi Driver” after Mercedes failed miserably in Japan.
Leo Turrini Said Lewis Hamilton Looks Like A “Taxi Driver” In Mercedes W15
After the Japanese GP in 2024, Mercedes looks, at best, the fourth or fifth fastest car in Formula 1. Recently, Leo Turrini, the Italian sports journalist, reported on QNMotori that clearly, in terms of performance, Red Bull still has a big advantage. The reigning champions were back on top with yet another one-two finish. But Turrini went on to say that Sergio Perez can never be as good as Max Verstappen. Similarly, the Italian F1 journalist said he is too old to believe in nonsense like Valterri Bottas is worth Lewis Hamilton and all those other comparisons.
“It is live testing now for us. We’ve been on the back foot and besides our issues for two seasons, and now we’ve taken a different direction and I think this is happening.”
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 8, 2024
Hear the latest from Toto on Mercedes' development push 📝#F1 #JapaneseGP
Moreover, Turrini proceeded to say that Hamilton should talk to those “Naive” members of his team who claimed about the “Mercedes Missile.” On top of that, Turrini asked if Hamilton really believed the car was that good and then if he would decide to switch to Ferrari. The Italian journalist does not buy that. Moreover, as per Google Translations, he called Hamilton a “Taxi Driver” and said George Russell is getting there after their poor performance in Japan.
The Seven-Time Champion Is Uncertain About When He Can Get A Headstart At Ferrari
So far, in 2024, Ferrari has performed well. In fact, they are right behind Red Bull. The Italian team has already managed to gain quite a few podium finishes. On the other hand, Mercedes is getting worse in terms of performance. Lewis Hamilton said earlier that he wanted to focus completely on his 12th and final season with Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton walked out on a post-Japanese Grand Prix media session after a Ferrari-related question:
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) April 7, 2024
A journalist asked if he was “jealous” watching Ferrari’s strong performances.
“Do you have any better questions?” Lewis replied, and then walked away. pic.twitter.com/EVfy7BFCDl
But these constant poor performances raise the question of whether he wants a quick headstart at the Maranello-based team. Lately, he left a press conference after getting offended by a Ferrari question. When can the seven-time champion join Ferrari if he wants to join them in 2024?
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.