Lewis Hamilton tipped to enter Ferrari’s new ‘Brawn-Todt’ era

Ferrari’s huge improvement means Lewis Hamilton could spearhead a stunning new era, he has been told.

Hamilton will switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, uniting F1’s most decorated driver with its most successful team.

Signs are emerging that the leadership of team principal Fred Vasseur will foster an environment which Hamilton can thrive in.

An example was given on the F1 Nation podcast from the F1 Singapore Grand Prix about how Vasseur coped with a problem.

“It was the first time I’ve heard Charles Leclerc and Vasseur contradict each other,” Tom Clarkson explained.

“Leclerc said there was an issue with tyre blankets, Fred said it was because he was sat in the pitlane and that’s what caused the problems.

“I’d never heard them disagree like that.”

Lawrence Barretto replied: “I think they had a chat after that because in the TV pen, Leclerc went out of his way to say it was his mistake.

“He threw it into an answer. He was very keen to say it was his fault, not the team’s.

“That built into a storyline that he feels good after this week. They showed pace to fight for the win if they were in a better spot.

“He has an understanding that it’s a driver tweak that he’s got to make, not a fundamental thing with the car, which I put to him would be more worrying.

I would like to see how that dynamic evolves over time. Charles hasn’t been afraid to say how annoying it is when things go wrong, how the team aren’t helping themselves when little details cost them two or three spots on the grid.”

Journalist Sam Power from Australia’s Channel 10 said: “They are starting to gel. They make better decisions, their strategy has been extremely impressive compared to years gone past.”

Barretto replied: “A lot of that is down to Fred. This is Year 2 for him. He is trying to pull this team together, he hasn’t gone around firing everyone.

“I think they are gelling, that’s why they feel they’ve got a shot at the constructors’ championship.

“They may be the most well-oiled Ferrari team that we’ve had in a while. How exciting is that?”

'Second-coming of Brawn-Todt era'

Ferrari haven’t won the F1 drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

But it was the era dominated by Michael Schumacher - with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt pulling the strings - which the Tifosi will be desperate to replicate.

Hamilton joining Leclerc under Vasseur’s leadership offers Ferrari a golden chance to kickstart a new winning generation.

“This may be the second-coming of the Ross Brawn-Jean Todt era,” Power said.

“Look at Fred and you see a wonderful sense of humour which has a way of cutting through pressure.

“I think he’s doing a really good job.”

Barretto said: “He hasn’t been given enough credit for the job he did at Sauber.

“Now he’s gone into the biggest job in sport. There isn’t a tougher job.”

Power added: “If he keeps that team trending the way it is, at the moment, then they will be a force to be reckoned with.”