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Despite comparisons being drawn between Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher as the Briton dons the red race suit for the first time, Piero Ferrari says the situation is “different”.
12 months after announced he’d been joining long-time Mercedes rival Ferrari having signed a multi-year agreement, Hamilton has experienced his first weeks as a Ferrari driver with just about every moment capturing the world’s attention.
Now Lewis Hamilton looks to break Ferrari’s drought
It’s also drawn comparisons between Hamilton and Schumacher with the 40-year-old arriving in Maranello with one goal in mind: breaking his World Championship tie with the German with an eighth title.
joining the team for the 1996 season having just wrapped up his second World title with Benetton, drove a Ferrari 412T2 at the team’s Fiorano circuit.
In misty conditions, the German was greeted by a few hundred Tifosi who gathered to celebrate the moment.
“I know Ferrari has been waiting for 16 years,” he said. “I believe we have a very good opportunity to fulfill the dream for Ferrari.”
More on Lewis Hamilton as he starts life at Ferrari
It was a dream that would take him five years to fulfil, Schumacher winning a first World title in red in 2000 before adding a further four in a five-year streak.
30 years on, it is Hamilton’s turn to embrace the Ferrari challenge as he looked to end the team’s latest drought that stretches back to 2007.
“Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together,” he said on social media.
Two days later, he put in his first laps in a Ferrari F1 car, driving the SF-23 at the Fiorano circuit as the Tifosi turned out in their thousands to watch the action.
Even those laps drew comparisons with Schumacher as reports claimed Hamilton clocked a fastest lap time one minute compared to Schumacher’s lap record of 55.999 in an F2004.
But if you ask Ferrari Vice President Piero Ferrari, the only surviving son of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, Schumacher’s first days in red were very different to Hamilton’s.
“The situation was different,” Ferrari told AutoSprint of Schumacher’s arrival at Maranello. “He had just won two World Championships, there was a lot of pressure.”
Michael may have appeared cold to the general public,” he continued, “but he was very friendly with those who knew him closely. I have always had a friendly relationship that has lasted over the years.”
Hamilton may not be arriving at Ferrari as a reigning World Champion as Schumacher did, but that doesn’t mean Ferrari aren’t expecting greatness as he bids to break his seven World Champions tie with Schumacher.
“Seven World titles mean the awareness of reading racing,” Ferrari said. “Lewis brings enormous experience to Ferrari, he is a professional at the highest level, he knows how toimag win races, he has the right pressure to try.”
