Lewis Hamilton shares what Ferrari team kept telling him during 25-race wait for podium
Even as he went a full season without a podium, Lewis Hamilton said that Ferrari remained ‘so positive’. It wasn’t until last month’s Chinese Grand Prix, his 25th race for the team when Hamilton finally secured a top-three finish.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Even as he went a full season without a podium, Lewis Hamilton said that Ferrari remained ‘so positive’. It wasn’t until last month’s Chinese Grand Prix, his 25th race for the team when Hamilton finally secured a top-three finish. It was the longest wait ever for a new Ferrari driver to reach the podium.
In contrast, Charles Leclerc had already notched up eight by this point, while Hamilton was still looking for his first. Hamilton had managed at least five podiums in every one of his first 18 F1 seasons. Making matters worse, he finished fourth on four occasions during that stretch but never managed to break into the top three across an entire season — something that hadn’t happened since Rubens Barrichello’s time with Jordan back in 1994.
Hamilton grateful for Ferrari’s backing Speaking to F1TV at the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton expressed his gratitude to Ferrari. Ferrari didn’t produce a race-winning car last season, but expectations were still high for Hamilton, especially given his salary of over £50m per year. Hamilton felt the pressure of not delivering results, but the team continued to back him.
It wasn’t until this year’s changes in regulations that things really started to shift in his favour. “The team have been amazing the past year, particularly in the garage,” he said. “The support has been immense.