F1 legend Nigel Mansell makes feelings clear on Lewis Hamilton amid difficult season so far
F1 news: Nigel Mansell has opened up on Lewis Hamilton amid his difficult season so far
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F1 legend Nigel Mansell has defended Lewis Hamilton amid a difficult season for the 39-year-old.
The Stevenage-born racer has won two races this term, with his first victory coming at Silverstone in July before he proceeded to claim glory in Belgium.
While Hamilton has performed well during those events, he's still a long way behind Max Verstappen at the top of the Formula One standings.
At the end of the campaign, the Mercedes driver will ditch the Silver Arrows for Ferrari.
F1 news: Nigel Mansell has opened up on Lewis Hamilton amid his difficult season so far
PA
Mansell, speaking to topoffshoresportsbooks.com, believes he will finally claim a historic eighth title once his move takes place.
And the F1 legend also believes Hamilton suffers from too much 'unfair' criticism from fans and pundits, too.
“Lewis gets a lot of criticism, which is totally unfair," he said.
"I think what he's done now to end his career in F1 by going to Ferrari is a magical step for him.
"He won't realise this yet but speaking as an ex-Formula 1 Ferrari driver, driving for Ferrari is something incredibly special and he'll feed off that.
"Give Lewis the car, he'll get the job done and so I predict that he will have a fabulous time at Ferrari.
"He'll go into a different gear. He'll be motivated again and I expect Lewis to challenge for the World Championship in 2025.”
Mansell was also asked which drivers would make it onto F1's own version of Mount Rushmore.
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The 71-year-old believes Hamilton would make the cut, as well as Michael Schumacher.
Curiously, however, he's opted to omit the late Ayrton Senna.
“This is really difficult. It's tough because there have been so many great drivers throughout the years," he said.
"Juan Manuel Fangio definitely would figure as one of them. I'll never forget the story of him having his leg burned by the exhaust in the car, driving with third degree burns and chewing a coca leaf at the time to take away the pain.
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“The other two that I'd put up there straightaway because of their achievements are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. ,
"Lewis has done an outstanding job, so there's three. For the fourth, I'll let the fans pick that one.”
Meanwhile, though Verstappen leads the standings, the 26-year-old is currently stuck in a rut.
His last race win came at the Spanish Grand Prix all the way back in June, leading to speculation he could decide to leave Red Bull.
F1 news: Nigel Mansell thinks Max Verstappen could end up leaving Red Bull for Mercedes or Aston Martin
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And Mansell thinks he could end up moving to Mercedes or Aston Martin, with former Red Bull chief Adrian Newey working with the latter.
“The fantastic thing about Formula One is that anything is possible," he said. "Max is the reigning World Champion and he's got an unbelievable advantage to win another World Championship this year.
"I think, watch this space. I think with the merry-go-round he could be moving to Mercedes. He could be moving to possibly Aston Martin, who knows?
"It's going to be interesting and hopefully for Red Bull they will be able to keep him. I know having been in Formula One, anything is possible!”