Jeremy Clarkson spreads “I am told” rumour about Lewis Hamilton’s house in Italy
“I’m told his new house..."
Celebrity F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson has questioned aspects of Lewis Hamilton’s start at Ferrari.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has made the blockbuster switch from Mercedes to join F1 rivals Ferrari for the 2025 season, where he will team up alongside Charles Leclerc.
The 40-year-old Briton heads to Ferrari hoping to emulate Michael Schumacher’s success, win a record-breaking eighth world title and end the Scuderia’s 16-year wait for a championship trophy.
However, Clarkson, who last week made fun of Hamilton and Ferrari’s official announcement photo on social media, pointed out details of the driver’s unveiling which he disagrees with.
“It could be argued that Lewis Hamilton wants a record-breaking eighth world championship before he retires, and moved to Ferrari because he reckons that this year they will have the fastest car,” Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sun newspaper.
“He may have a point. Early indications on the rumour mill suggest it’s very fast indeed."
Jeremy Clarkson critical of Lewis Hamilton
“However, if he’s so keen on that eighth world title, you’d imagine that he’d have arrived at the factory on day one, keen to know the car’s secrets and how he can extract the most from its vast arsenal of racing trickery," Clarkson continued.
“Instead, he turned up in an SUV in a suit and tie and posed for pictures before talking to fans, under the watchful eye of a video drone which luckily was there to capture the moment.
“Next, there was a tour of the team’s headquarters where, in slow motion, we saw the fawning engineers and the applause.
“And then, eventually, he went on to the track, in an F1 Ferrari that’s three years old.
“I’m told his new house isn’t anywhere near the team’s HQ. It’s in Milan, and he doesn’t even commute in a Ferrari road car, choosing instead to use Fiat’s helicopter.
“It made me wonder. What is Lewis now? A driver? Or a superstar?
“What I do know is he’ll have his work cut out to beat his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who speaks Italian, knows the team, doesn’t spend quite so long posing for pictures and, thanks to a single-lap shootout, is regarded by many to be the fastest driver of them all.
“Maybe Lewis is aware of this.
“And maybe he signed for Ferrari for a different reason – he knows he’s past his prime now and he didn’t want to retire having never driven for motorsport’s crown jewel.
“Either way, I wish him well.”
It is not the first time Clarkson has highlighted doubts about Hamilton’s performance.
After a difficult race in Brazil last year, Clarkson suggested Hamilton was “too old”.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
