Lewis Hamilton won’t let critics derail his Ferrari journey
Lewis Hamilton is pushing forward despite a challenging debut season with Ferrari that hasn’t yet delivered the results many expected from the seven-time world champion.
“I really, really don’t know what to expect moving forward, but I’ll keep trying,” Hamilton said ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
His qualifying performance in Mexico City showed promising signs, landing him third on the grid and suggesting both his form and the Italian team’s performance might be turning a corner.
But Sunday’s race proved frustrating.
Hamilton received a ten-second time penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage, which he described as “pretty nuts,” crushing any hopes of securing his first podium with Ferrari.
“Just slowly, slowly, collectively getting a bit better,” the 40-year-old explained when asked about improvements in Mexico.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains determined to push through the difficulties as the season approaches its final races.
“I’ll get up tomorrow and train, and try and prepare. I can’t let those who are not necessarily being helpful stop me from trying,” he added.
The penalty controversy didn’t end with the checkered flag. Hamilton’s team radio revealed him urging FIA stewards to punish “all the other cars that cheated” during the race.
Though Hamilton was the only driver penalized, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believed the penalty was “deserved.”
Ferrari’s handling of the situation also drew criticism, with F1 analyst Karun Chandhok calling comments from Hamilton’s race engineer Riccardo Adami “poor communication.”
With several races remaining in the season, Hamilton still has opportunities to score his first Ferrari podium and build momentum heading into 2025.
The Brazilian Grand Prix presents his next chance to turn qualifying pace into race results and silence those critics he refuses to let derail his Ferrari journey.
