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Lewis Hamilton WARNS of Potential Repeat of Daniel Ricciardo’s Struggles

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has voiced concerns that the sport could witness a repeat of the struggles faced by Daniel Ricciardo in recent years. Hamilton’s warning comes at a time when driver performance, team decisions, and career trajectories are being widely discussed, particularly as teams prepare for upcoming seasons.

Hamilton’s Warning and Ricciardo’s Struggles

Hamilton’s cautionary remarks highlight the challenges drivers face when switching teams or adapting to new environments. While he did not point to any specific driver or situation, his comments resonate with Ricciardo’s well-documented struggles after leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season.

Ricciardo, once a Grand Prix winner and considered one of the top drivers on the grid, experienced difficulties finding consistency after his move to Renault (now Alpine) and later to McLaren. Despite flashes of brilliance—most notably his victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix—Ricciardo’s struggles with car performance and driving style adaptation ultimately led to McLaren terminating his contract a year early, forcing him into a reserve driver role in 2023.

His return to a full-time seat with AlphaTauri (now RB) in 2024 has been met with mixed results, raising questions about whether he can regain his former competitive edge. Hamilton’s comments suggest that F1 teams need to be careful in managing their drivers’ transitions, ensuring they are given the right support and environment to succeed.

Why Hamilton’s Warning Matters

Hamilton’s warning carries weight given his experience in F1 and his understanding of how team dynamics impact driver performance. With the driver market heating up for 2025 and beyond, speculation is growing about potential moves, including Carlos Sainz’s future after Ferrari, Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull seat, and whether young talents like Oscar Piastri or Liam Lawson could displace established names.

The concern is that without the right conditions, even talented drivers can struggle, just as Ricciardo did. Hamilton’s remarks suggest that teams must be strategic not just in hiring drivers, but also in ensuring they have the right machinery, engineering support, and time to adjust—something Ricciardo arguably lacked at McLaren.

As the Formula 1 season unfolds, Hamilton’s warning serves as a reminder of how unpredictable the sport can be. With driver contracts expiring and potential team changes on the horizon, F1 could soon see another high-profile case of a driver struggling to adapt. Whether lessons have been learned from Ricciardo’s journey remains to be seen, but Hamilton’s words indicate that the risk is ever-present in the fast-moving

world of Formula 1.