Former Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has tipped Lewis Hamilton to clinch his elusive eighth F1 world crown with Ferrari – a title Haug insists was unjustly “stolen” from the Briton in Abu Dhabi 2021.
Few sagas in F1 historical past have been debated as relentlessly as that controversial race, the place a security automotive ruling handed Max Verstappen the world championship on the ultimate lap.
Now, Haug, the person who helped resurrect Mercedes’ motorsport legacy within the late nineties, sees Hamilton’s Ferrari transfer as an opportunity to proper that improper and cement his legacy.
Haug’s historical past with Hamilton runs deep. The German witnessed a teenage prodigy blossom right into a seven-time champion underneath Mercedes’ wing, a journey that started when Hamilton was simply 14.
Nonetheless, Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari after 2024 has left Haug bittersweet.
Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug in 2008 with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
“It’s really very unhappy for me, I’ve to say,” he instructed Sky Germany. “I’d by no means have thought that Lewis would swap once more.
“I’ve actually recognized him since he was 14 years previous. There actually continues to be a fantastic relationship. I hadn’t seen him for years… and I don’t know.
“While you’ve labored with folks, with racing drivers, for therefore lengthy, it’s like the primary day, as if the final assembly was yesterday.”
The Ghost of Abu Dhabi 2021
That 2021 finale – the place Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the ultimate lap amid a security automotive debacle – stays a uncooked wound.
Consequently, the result, endlessly rehashed by followers and pundits, noticed race director Michael Masi’s determination to permit solely choose lapped automobiles to unlap themselves spark outrage. Finally, for Haug, it’s unambiguous.
“The previous few years [have been difficult] because the title we misplaced in 2021. And that basically was a stolen title – there’s no different strategy to put it – because of the improper security automotive determination on the time, however there was a demolition after that.”
Moreover, the 72-year-old former journalist sees it as a turning level, a “demolition” that derailed Mercedes’ dominance.
“The automotive and the crew that preceded it suffered many setbacks, together with final yr,” he added. “The victories that did come have been some at low temperatures.”
Ferrari’s Redemption Shot
At 40, Hamilton has joined Ferrari with fireplace in his veins, and Haug is all-in on his potential.
“Anybody who thinks that he’ll quit at 40 and step on the fuel much less and work much less intensively shall be improper,” he declared.
“He’ll give every thing [at Ferrari]. I completely belief him to ship the utmost potential efficiency within the race. And if the automotive is nice, why shouldn’t it work out with the eighth title?”
Haug envisions Hamilton pairing his relentless drive with Ferrari’s storied would possibly to assert the record-breaking crown that slipped away in ’21.
In distinction, Haug’s religion in Hamilton contrasts together with his muted outlook for Mercedes in 2025.
“I feel we’re, as you understand, simply pretty much as good as we have been within the final race,” he stated, hinting at stagnation since their peak.
However can Ferrari harness Hamilton’s starvation to clinch that record-breaking eighth crown? For Haug, it’s greater than potential – it’s a title Hamilton deserved way back, and one he’s poised to grab eventually.
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