Credits: Imago

At 39 years of age, Lewis Hamilton is the second oldest driver on the grid. Despite his age, experts and pundits still rank him as one of the top drivers and expect him to fight for his 8th championship, given he has a good car. However, former general manager of Ferrari, Peter Windsor, believes Hamilton is now past his peak.

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On his YouTube channel, Windsor posted a video, where he said,

“Is Hamilton past his peak? Yeah, probably. He’s not getting any younger. He’s already won seven world championships. He’s gone through the agony of everything that happened in Abu Dhabi ’21.”

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Windsor explained that after the antics of the Abu Dhabi incident, Mercedes brought in a teammate for Hamilton whom he didn’t want. After that, they came up with a car that was nowhere close to being able to fight for race wins. Hamilton has not won a race since 2022 and looks unlikely to win one this season. Hence, given all the “road dust,” Windsor believes Hamilton is long past his peak in F1.

But that does not mean Windsor thinks Hamilton isn’t capable of winning anymore. Moving to Ferrari next year, Hamilton hopes to return to winning ways. Should the Ferrari car and its setup work for Hamilton, Windsor is certain that the British driver will be able to notch up a few more wins for himself.

Furthermore, the upcoming partnership between Hamilton and Ferrari has been hailed as the biggest move in F1 history. The most successful driver in F1 history, joins hands with the most successful team. What’s more, glory has eluded both parties for longer than they would have liked. Perhaps a union might be key to both achieving what they want.

Carlos Sainz may complicate things for Lewis Hamilton

Heading to Ferrari, the expectations from Hamilton are clear as day. The Maranello-based outfit wants to see glory return to their camp. With Hamilton standing as one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, the hope will be for him to use it to good effect and win a championship with Ferrari. Although, given Carlos Sainz‘s recent results, the number of doubters behind the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership have increased.

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Only one man has beaten Red Bull in 2023 and 2024 (to date), and that is Sainz. Each time the Red Bull car was off its pace, Sainz was there to rub salt in their wounds. Having started the 2024 season on a strong foot, Sainz has Ferrari fans dreaming, and should he be able to keep his form up, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari will come under further doubt.

However, chances are that with Sainz’s rising stock, another top team, perhaps Red Bull, will sign him up. Currently, out of a seat for the 2025 season, Sainz could receive an offer from Red Bull that might be too tempting to let go. However, until something comes along, the best Sainz can do is continue to fight at the front of the field and add to the pressure on Hamilton for when he replaces him.