Shocking News: Mercedes Reveal What They'll Miss from Hamilton.

Mercedes Reveal What They’ll Miss from Hamilton as He Heads to Ferrari

As Lewis Hamilton prepares to make a monumental shift from Mercedes to Ferrari at the end of the current F1 season, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, has shared insights into what the team will miss most about the seven-time world champion. Hamilton’s departure marks the end of an era for the Brackley-based team, with his exit leaving a significant void both on and off the track.

Having joined Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has been instrumental in the team’s remarkable success over the past decade. Under his leadership, Mercedes has clinched 84 Grand Prix victories, six drivers’ titles, and eight constructors’ championships. This unparalleled success story has made Hamilton a cornerstone of the team, not just as a driver but as a key contributor to its engineering and development processes.

Shovlin, who has worked closely with Hamilton throughout his tenure at Mercedes, emphasized that Hamilton’s departure will be felt in several crucial areas. One of the primary aspects the team will miss is Hamilton’s exceptional “feel for what the car needs.” This intuitive understanding has been a cornerstone of Mercedes’ development strategy, allowing the team to fine-tune their cars to an unparalleled level of performance.

“I’ll miss him as a character because he’s good fun to work with,” Shovlin shared with select media, including RacingNews365, when asked about what the team will miss from an engineering perspective. “His race pace has been extremely good, but what he brought to the team is an awful lot of speed and a good feel for what the car needs. He is very good at highlighting where the weaknesses are in the car.”

Shovlin’s comments underscore Hamilton’s ability to extract every ounce of performance from the car, a skill that has often been the difference between victory and defeat. Hamilton’s feedback has been invaluable in identifying areas for improvement, and his departure leaves a gap that will be difficult to fill.

Aside from his technical prowess, Hamilton has also earned a reputation as a “tyre whisperer,” a unique skill that has frequently given Mercedes an edge in race strategy. Over the years, Hamilton has perfected the art of managing tyres, often using radio messages as a tactical decoy to mislead rival teams. He would report tyre issues to his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, only to extend his stint and maintain a strong pace, catching competitors off guard.

This strategic mastery is another aspect that Shovlin believes the team will sorely miss. “It’s difficult to say what we would miss specifically from an engineering point of view,” Shovlin admitted. “Other than he just has this innate feel for what the car’s doing, what the tyres are doing – and that’s very valuable when you feed that into the development process.”

As Mercedes enters a new chapter without Hamilton, the team will need to adapt to his absence, particularly in areas where his experience and insights have been crucial. The downstream impact of losing such a seasoned driver could influence the team’s ability to develop and upgrade their car throughout the season, a challenge that Shovlin and his colleagues are keenly aware of.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari will undoubtedly reshape the dynamics of Formula 1, with both Mercedes and Ferrari entering uncharted territory. For Mercedes, the challenge will be to maintain their competitive edge without the driver who has been synonymous with their success for over a decade. As the 2024 season draws to a close, all eyes will be on how both teams navigate this significant transition.