Lewis Hamilton’s Recent Struggles To Continue At Ferrari?

Next year, Lewis Hamilton faces the distinct possibility of being outperformed by current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

That is the view of Flavio Briatore, a prominent and controversial figure in Formula 1 and the ex-manager of Renault, who continues to advise Fernando Alonso.

During a meeting at a café in Monaco with Toto Wolff, as news of Hamilton’s potential move to Ferrari emerged in February, Briatore also predicted that Red Bull and Max Verstappen would continue their complete dominance throughout the 2024 F1 season.

“This year Red Bull is even more competitive – much more than last year, with a huge gap over the others,” Briatore, 73, told Italian broadcaster Rai 1.

“Verstappen has 8 tenths over everyone and never makes a mistake,” the flamboyant Italian added. “The synergy with Red Bull is terrifying, as (Ayrton) Senna was with McLaren, (Fernando) Alonso was with Renault, or (Michael) Schumacher was with Ferrari.”

Ferrari, now headed by Frederic Vasseur, claims it has gotten closer to Red Bull over the winter, but Briatore said: “They may be the second force, but it is not a position suitable for Ferrari.

“The car must improve. With those gaps, no driver can make the difference.”

He is referring, of course, to Ferrari’s decision to oust Carlos Sainz at the end of the year in favour of seven time world champion Hamilton, 39.

“If Hamilton was already at Ferrari today, he would do the same things as Leclerc, who is a fast driver, although often underestimated,” said Briatore. “But despite Hamilton’s unquestionable abilities, the internal competition with Leclerc could prove more difficult than he thinks.

“In the end he might struggle to stay ahead of Charles because he is one of those drivers who doesn’t put much effort into it if the car isn’t good.”