Ferrari insist they have no concerns over Lewis Hamilton's slump in form as the Briton gets set to drive his final race in a Mercedes before joining the Italian team after the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton, 39, unsuccessfully asked to be withdrawn from last weekend's Qatar GP after he was penalised twice by the stewards and claimed his car was “broken”.
The Briton continued to take the chequered flag in 12th – eight places behind George Russell in the other Silver Arrows – and alarmed observers by claiming after Saturday's Sprint race that he “definitely isn’t fast anymore”. He walked back those comments on Sunday, saying he "still has it".
Hamilton announced in February he was leaving Mercedes, the team in which he has won six of his seven F1 drivers' titles with, to move to Ferrari for the 2025 season. His final year with the team has been one of the most disappointing of his illustrious career though, winning only two races.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the Italian team are confident the British driver’s dip will not carry into next year.
“Not at all,” said Vasseur when asked if he was concerned about Hamilton’s recent run of results. “Look at the 50 laps he did in Las Vegas where he started 10th and finished second, on the gearbox of Russell. I am not worried at all.”
Hamilton has been beaten by teammate Russell in 23 of the 29 qualifying sessions staged this season and is set to finish behind his British compatriot in the championship when the season finishes in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Since the summer break, Hamilton has outscored Russell in just two of the nine races staged. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who has overseen Hamilton’s 12 seasons with the Silver Arrows, said: “When he took the decision at the beginning of the season [to join Ferrari] we knew it could be a bumpy year ahead, and that is very normal.
“He knows that he is going somewhere else, and we know that our future lies with [Hamilton’s replacement] Kimi Antonelli. So to go through the ups and downs and still manage to keep it together between us, that is something that we have achieved.
“You see those very bad races, and clearly he wears his heart on his sleeve. He expresses his emotions and that is absolutely allowed. That is OK.
“Nothing is going to take away 12 incredible years, with eight constructors’ titles and six drivers’ titles [for Hamilton].
“That is what will be in the memory, and after next Sunday we are going to look back at this great period of time, rather than a season, or races that were particularly bad. We will stay with the good memories.”
Hamilton admitted in Qatar he doesn't have high hopes of a dramatic upturn in form in Abu Dhabi, but insisted that it is the approach to the weekend rather than the result that is important to him.
"I mean I don't think we're going to end up on a high," he told reporters.
"It'll end and I think what's important is how we turn up, we give it our best shot. I don't anticipate particularly much better weekend than we've had in the past weekends but naturally I'll try.
"Go in with low hopes and come out with a better result, then great, but it doesn't really make a big difference either way. These last races don't have an impact on everything we've done together."
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
