Former Haas Method 1 workforce principal Guenther Steiner has questioned whether or not Lewis Hamilton is the motive force to show Ferrari’s fortunes round, suggesting Max Verstappen may be higher suited to the function.
Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025 after a profitable 12-year stint with Mercedes, throughout which era he gained six of his seven world titles.
After a tough first season with Ferrari, the 41-year-old has proven glimpses of his former kind in 2026. He claimed his maiden win with the Maranello outfit on the Barcelona Catalunya Grand Prix and at the moment sits fourth within the drivers’ standings with three rounds remaining.
However in current race weekends, the intra-team dynamics at Ferrari has come beneath scrutiny because of on-track clashes between Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
On The Purple Flags Podcast, the dialogue turned to a principle that Ferrari has been most profitable when a powerful driver, reminiscent of Michael Schumacher, has taken cost of the workforce.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Anadolu through Getty Photographs
“However is he the man who could make the workforce win?” Steiner requested. “When robust drivers took over, they made it a hit, however Fernando Alonso tried. Did he succeed? No. Do you assume Lewis is the proper man to make this occur?”
Requested whether or not Verstappen can be higher suited to that place, Steiner defined: “You understand how Max is. He would not cease. He is relentless. That could possibly be the answer.”
Steiner’s co-host Brian Muller added: “Properly, they are not getting Max anytime quickly. So, what they’ve is Lewis, and if they are not able to drop issues when you may have a seven-time world champion who’s able to make Ferrari nice once more, and you are not prepared to leap on that when it is time, then you definitely’ve bought greater issues.”
It follows Ralf Schumacher’s declare that the Briton “by no means discovered find out how to lead a workforce”.
“Hamilton by no means discovered find out how to lead a workforce, not beneath Toto Wolff and never beneath Ron Dennis,” the previous driver stated throughout Sky Sports activities Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “That was by no means his job anyway. He simply needed to get within the automobile and drive as quick as doable.
“You may see that, and it is made him fairly egotistical as nicely.”
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– The Motorsport.com Crew