That kind of talk from Lewis is toxic to team motivation back at the Ferrari factory. There is a way to fail and a way to win. We know the difference, and what is appropriate to a team that is floundering. Lewis will not help in any way in this situation, as he is not tuned to that kind of frequency.
Fred, like I’ve said, this team and his roll are all over his head. It’s too much for him, and he is incapable of leading a guy like Lewis at this declining stage of his career. There is no chemistry in the Lewis side of the Ferrari garage and that will carry right over into 2026 and worsen since Fred is the wrong type leader for this team, and he is clearly incapable of bridging the gap between Lewis and Ferrari. The situation is different than in Fred and Lewis’ relations in lower echelons of racing. It’s why we got the, “We just need to extract more from the car”. All. F-ing. Year. Long. Fred has no answer in other words. He doesn’t know. It’s over his head. He is clueless what to do. It’s now proven fact.
Lewis, well he must have a car that is competitive, if he does not have that, he’s not there to test, and he is not a team motivator in a losing situation, and he has had Road Runners all his Championship years. This is all out of his skill set. Yet, he went to Ferrari, to win. And so that’s why it was a disaster to begin with, and why many saw this in 2024, when he signed. Lewis does not realize or accept his decline. He is living in denial and acting like he’s still his 2018 self. What is happening now is an embarrassment as a result of that denial. He was struggling against King George, and he is struggling with Chuck, who is even better and will continue to improve. Lewis will struggle against any top driver because he is declining.
The hard realization is that, Lewis is no longer champion material, and the question earlier of how long Elkann is going to put up with this nonsense, becomes a fundamental one to Ferrari long term success. Firing Lewis is egg on Elkann’s face, and I don’t think he is man enough to admit a decision that bad. Furthermore, Elkann is not a F1 guy, he’s a public relations billionaire. Elkann is in this for the money / branding, and thought Lewis was the e-ticket. He thought wrong. And now, Lewis is NOT interested in building up a car, or a team, or play second fiddle to Chuck. He is there to win and that is just not going to happen. That is the reality.
Ferrari may well have the second best engine (from rumors) next year (doubt it), but the reality setting in now, is that Lewis will not be able to beat Chuck should Ferrari perform a miracle (they won’t), and so Lewis will become a Barichello. That’s EXACTLY what I suggested in 2024 would happen. Bad car and it’s just more embarrassment, good car is just more embarrassment losing to Chuck. He’s in a no win situation, and we all know Lewis will FLOUNDER in such a position, taking the team down with him 2026, and souring an already acidic environment. Because at the end of the day, Lewis will never admit he is about a half a second off Chuck when it’s all said and done, he didn’t go to Ferrari to play first of the losers.
My suggestion to Ferrari is to bring in Bearman. His youth and newness will fill in the holes of Lewis’ negativity, and would be happy to allow Ferrari to shape him however they want. Bearman would be MORE THAN HAPPY to support Chuck with ZERO expectations and would be downright giddy finishing 2nd, which would be a refreshing glass of water for the Ferrari factory team members. It also would bode well for the team with a single driver supported by a clear #2. They could focus development, and not have to deal with all the whiney nonsense, over-expectations, and my god endless negativity that go with Lewis. He’s cancerous at this point.
Then again, Chuck may just up and leave next year.
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