Ex-Ferrari engineer Smedley: “Hamilton reminds of Michael Schumacher”

– Lewis Hamilton apparently provides new impulses at Ferrari not only on the track. According to former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley, long-time team members recognize clear parallels between the seven-time world champion and Michael Schumacher.

Read more Honda riders explain: Why Silverstone does not suit the RC213V well

After a difficult debut season at Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton has fought back this year under the new technical regulations. At the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona-Catalunya, the 41-year-old celebrated his first win for the Scuderia. Additional podium finishes followed, so Hamilton is in second place in the drivers’ world championship at the summer break.

Smedley, who worked at Ferrari for about a decade during and beyond the Schumacher era, sees Hamilton’s influence on the team positively. The former Ferrari race engineer explains in the podcast “High Performance Racing”: “I want to praise Lewis at this point. It also feels like he is pushing the team hard, right? And we’ve talked about this before: When you get a driver of his caliber, the team just feels one percent more capable.”

Hamilton pushes Ferrari in the right way

According to Smedley, Hamilton is highly valued by Ferrari employees. “They love him. When I talk to the guys, one-on-one or in all the group chats I’m in, they all absolutely love him,” he says.

Hamilton not only brings the experience of a seven-time world champion but also continues to challenge the team. “And he is a seven-time world champion, and they know he is someone who can deliver. He can still win world championships, but he also pushes them. He pushes them in the right way, and they recognize that,” explains Smedley.

Read more Fernando Alonso drives a $5.9 million Lamborghini through Monaco

For the former Ferrari engineer, this effect is reminiscent of an earlier era of the Scuderia. Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996. At that time, the team had not had a drivers’ world champion since 1979 and had not won a constructors’ title since 1983.

Schumacher shaped the most successful Ferrari era

Photo series: Michael Schumacher: The Ferrari Years

With Schumacher, Ferrari then developed into the dominant team in Formula 1. The German won five of his seven world championships with the Scuderia between 2000 and 2004. He also contributed to Ferrari winning six constructors’ championships during this period.

Smedley therefore sees parallels between Hamilton’s current influence and Schumacher’s impact on Ferrari. “The people who have been there for 20 years or more recognize the similarities between him and Michael,” says the former Ferrari engineer.

With this, Smedley connects Hamilton’s current role at Ferrari with the memories of those employees who were already part of the Scuderia during the Schumacher era.

Read more Emerson Fittipaldi trusts Lewis Hamilton to compete for the title at Ferrari