Lewis Hamilton advised to follow his gut instinct again after Ferrari F1 move

Peter W𓆉indsor analyses the cause of Lewis Hamilton’s early difficulties at Fer🌌rari.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
© XPB Images

Lewis Hamilton should follow his gut instinღct more often at Ferrari and stop over-analysing situations, according to former Formula 1 team manager Peter W🌼indsor.

Seven-time F1 champion 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Hamilton has had a mixed start to life at Ferrari, with an emphatic victory in the sprint raꦏce at Shanghai being somewhat overshadowed by his disqualification from sixth place in the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Ferrari SF-25 also hasn’t been as competitive as many had predicted after pre-season testing in Bahrain last month, with Hamilton’s teammate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Charles Leclerc faring only marginally better than him in the Australian GP and the main race in China (where he was also 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖🉐结果历史:disqualified for a separate reason).

F1 journalist Windsor feels Hamilton is as physicall✃y fit as he ever was in the sport, but believes th🔯e Briton needs to revert to an approach that he used until the 2021 season, when he engaged in a fierce scrap with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the title.

He has advised Ferrari’s new star signing to follow his gut again in order𝓀 to perform to the best of his abilities in F1.

“I have no doubt at all that Lewis physically, apart from the obvioℱus one or two things that happen when you age, is probably about where he was when he was 21-22,” Windsor, who briefly worked at Ferrari between 1989-90, said on 🦹his YouTube channel.

“But there is another thi🐻ng that starts to happen when you start to age and that is you start to think more.

“The risk-reward question becomes a slightly bigger rational question in your mind because you are more experienced, your brain is more developed and you start naturally thinking a🐎bout risk𒊎 and reward and thinking about racing.

“By gut-instinct, I don't mean reflexes. What I mean is the zone that Max Verstappen gets ๊into very quickly, when he is🎉 at the absolute limit of what the car can do. When you look from the outside the car almost looks like it is on rails because he is turning in early, he is managing all the dynamic weights.

“He is doing that not by thought, he is doing that by gut instinct. He is at one with t꧅he car and feeling the surface of the road. And that comes from not thinking about it. He thinks about other things, he thinks about strategy, he thinks about tyre management, he thinks about lots of things. But he doesn't think about what I do next, where I'm losing time, he just lets his gut instinct do it.

“Lewis is one of 🐠the very rare drivers. I would say, [Ayrton] Senna, Nigel Mansell, Lewis, and Max are four drivers in my lifetime that I'vℱe seen very closely who are able to get into that gut instinct and perfectly in harmony with the car on one lap. They don't have to think about it, it happens.

“And I got to say, now aged 40, that is not happening as much with Lewis because he is thinking more about it. He is thinking about the Ferrari politics, how to handle the engi🌠neers, the right way to speak to them, what to ask for, what not to ask for, what he wants from the car, where he is quick, where🃏 he is slow.  

Windsor reckons Ferrari holds the key to unlocking the pace Hamilton has, because producing a superior package will automatically allo🍸w the Briton to stop overthinking while he is in the car.

“It's not going to Ferrari [that is causing him to think more],” said the F🐠1 pundit. “He is 40 years old, seven world championships. H♛e is going to think about it more.

“It's not to do with fear, it's not to do with quick corners, slow corners - it's just analysing it more than he needs to. That's what is going 🦹on.

“If they can find a b💙it more traction and if they can get the Ferrari a little bit better in a couple of areas, you will see Lewis getting into that zone again and you will see Lewis start to really become the ‘gut-instinct Lewis’ that he was up to the end of 2021. I think that can still happen, I really do.

“I've said he will win grands prix, not only sprints. But right now in a difficult car in difficult conditions, it was💖 not working for⛄ him.”

Read More