James Vowles believes Lewis Hamilton may have made himself “stronger” forward of his change to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
The Williams crew principal has insisted that irrespective of the problem of competing towards the long-embedded Charles Leclerc on the Scuderia, the British driver will discover a method to match his new team-mate.
After working alongside Hamilton at Mercedes for 10 seasons between 2013 and 2022, Vowles is well-placed to guage how the 40-year-old will adapt and rise to the duty at Ferrari.
Leclerc is broadly anticipated to have a cushty higher hand over the seven-time F1 drivers’ champion throughout one lap in qualifying, one thing that may present him with a substantial benefit for race days.
However it’s anticipated by many who Hamilton will nonetheless have the sting given his superior grand prix kind.
A lot will hinge on how shortly he can modify and assimilate into his new crew, with each drivers in a great place to mount a drivers’ title cost, supplied the SF-25 is as aggressive as its predecessor.
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Both manner, Vowles maintains “you’ll be able to by no means write off” Hamilton given what he has already achieved in F1.
After narrowly and bitterly lacking out on a record-breaking eighth championship in 2021, the following two years pose Hamilton’s greatest alternative to lastly surpass Michael Schumacher.
When it was put to Vowles that it’s not, nonetheless, a provided that he’ll attain success on observe for the Maranello-based crew, he agreed, however nonetheless laid down a marker for his former colleague.
“Under no circumstances,” the 45-year-old instructed Sky Sports activities Information. “However the one factor about Lewis that I find out about him, he reinvents himself each winter. He comes again stronger each winter.
“And each competitor he is been up towards, he finds a manner to enhance himself, to change into alongside them if he is behind.
“If he is forward, he finds a manner of making an attempt to step and march that ahead. It is Lewis. He is a seven-time world champion. You’ll be able to by no means write him off.”
