Ferrari have been told to “support” Lewis Hamilton once he moves to Maranello after his clashes with their passionate fan base in the past.
Hamilton became somewhat of a pantomime villain for Ferrari fans in the 2010s as he repeatedly stopped the likes of Sebastian Vettel from bringing the title back to Maranello.
But from next year, Hamilton will be in Ferrari red and his new team has been urged to “support” the seven-time World champion by ex-F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella.
Fisichella drove for Ferrari in the second half of the 2009 season but continues to represent the Prancing Horse in endurance racing. Speaking of a man who will soon be his colleague, Fisichella said Ferrari need to “support” and “trust” Hamilton.
“Lewis is a fantastic driver and obviously, signing for Ferrari means a lot for him,” Fisichella exclusively told PlanetF1.com, in association with Betway. “But also, for the people inside Ferrari, they need to trust him.
“They need to support him because Ferrari needs anything. He could be good to be back and fight for the championship. I’m sure about that.”
Hamilton will drive alongside Charles Leclerc, representing the second World Champion the latter has shared a garage with, but Fisichella was confident the Monegasque could hold his own.
“I don’t think so,” Fisichella replied when asked if Hamilton’s rival threatens Leclerc. “For Charles, he’s a part of the family now, the Ferrari family.
“Charles is [welcoming] one of the best drivers into Ferrari and for Charles [it] could be another help, having a different driver like Lewis with a lot of experience that will be good to share that telemetry, to share the work together.
“And it’s important for him to be quicker than the other.”
As to who would come out on top, Fisichella said it was “difficult to say.”
“I know Charles a bit. He’s a nice guy and is really, really quick. Now, he has a lot of experience as well, obviously, Lewis he has more experience. He won several times the world championship, he has good experience to manage the pressure on that.
“Maybe Lewis could be a little bit stronger but I also think Charles in a qualifying session, and in the race pace, will be very strong. It’s going to be a really interesting one to watch. I’m really looking forward to next year.”
