Hamilton warned Ferrari fans may TURN on him by ex-boss

Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton has been warned about how Ferrari fans will take to him, as he gears up for his debut in red.

The British star officially joined the historic team at the start of the year, leaving a partnership with Mercedes which brought six drivers' championships as a duo.

READ MORE: Hamilton admits plans for future Mercedes return

The Brit is a seven-time champion in the sport, a record he shares with another Ferrari legend in Michael Schumacher, who drove with the Scuderia between 1996-2006.

Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc, a driver pairing that Ferrari will hope can take them to their first championship title of any kind since 2008.

Will Hamilton succeed at Ferrari?

Hamilton's 12-season spell with Mercedes yielded a stunning six drivers' titles and 84 grands prix victories, making it the most successful driver-team combination in the history of the sport.

However, the last three seasons of the partnership saw just two grands prix victories, and Hamilton's 2024 season in particular will go down as a pretty dismal one.

Now, former Ferrari chief John Barnard has suggested that Hamilton's move to Ferrari may cause some problems, due to the added scrutiny stars face when they join the Maranello outfit. Barnard worked with the Ferrari team in the 80s and 90s, for the most part as technical director.

"I’m interested to see what happens when Lewis Hamilton goes there," Barnard told MotorSport Magazine.

"I don’t think he’s as quick as Charles Leclerc, but he’s still a decent racing driver, and he understands how to win championships - not by winning every race but by consistently scoring points. I wonder, too, what happens if the car doesn’t suit him because at Ferrari it doesn’t take long for them to turn on you.

"It’s hard to explain but the Italian media puts pressure on the team, week in week out, and that’s tough to deal with."

READ MORE: Hamilton set to ditch key partner

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