Ferrari have been told to “support” Lewis Hamilton if he moves to Maranello after clashing with his passionate fan base in the past.
Hamilton became something of a pantomime villain for Ferrari fans in the 2010s, as he repeatedly stopped the likes of Sebastian Vettel from taking the title back to Maranello.
But from next year Hamilton will wear Ferrari red and his new team has been urged by former F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella to “support” the seven-time world champion.
Giancarlo Fisichella asks Ferrari to support Lewis Hamilton
Fisichella drove for Ferrari late in the 2009 season, but continues to represent the Prancing Horse in endurance racing. Fisichella said Ferrari needed to “support” and “trust” Hamilton in his soon-to-be colleague.
“Lewis is a great driver and signing with Ferrari obviously means a lot to him,” Fisichella exclusively told PlanetF1.com. Betway. “But at the same time, people inside Ferrari need to trust him.
“They need to support him because Ferrari needs something. He could be good to come back and fight for the championship. I'm sure about that.”
Hamilton will drive alongside Charles Leclerc, representing the second world champion they have shared a garage with, but Fisichella was confident Leclerc in Monaco could hold his own.
Asked if Hamilton's rivals would threaten Leclerc, Fisichella said: “I don't think so.” “For Charles, he is now part of his family, the Ferrari family.
“Charles is [welcoming] One of the best drivers for Ferrari and Charles [it] Having another driver like Lewis who is experienced and good to share telemetry and work with could be another help.
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“And it's important that he's faster than the other players.”
As for who will come out on top, Fisichella said, “It's hard to say.”
“I know Charles a little bit. He's a good guy and really, really fast. Now, he's got a lot of experience too, but obviously Lewis has more experience. He won the World Championship He has won several championships and has good experience in dealing with that pressure.
“Maybe Lewis will be a little bit stronger, but I think Charles will also be very strong in the qualifying session and race pace. It's going to be very interesting. I'm really looking forward to next year.”
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