27/01/2013
NEWS STORY
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Lewis Hamilton wants to emulate Michael Schumacher's achievements at Ferrari. But has the British driver got the patience, the motivation or even the time?
While opinion remains divided in terms of the 2008 world champion's move to Brackley, not helped by the controversy surrounding the team this week which has only further muddied the waters, Lewis remains (outwardly) defiant, insisting that it is a good move.
Talking to reporters during a visit to Brackley, the youngster compared the decision to move to the German team to Michael Schumacher's decision to leave Benetton for Ferrari.
"I just want to try something different," he said. "I'm not scared to try new things. I really wanted a different experience.
"Michael went to Ferrari as champion, which was more positive," he continued. "I like to think I could do something similar. He did it with a great group of people. I definitely feel I have joined a team with great people around me.
Basically, he's right, the record books show that having moved to Ferrari the two-time champion added a further five titles to his tally, thereby becoming the most successful driver in the history of the sport. Many of the records that he set are unlikely to ever be broken.
But let's not forget that Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996, the first title with the Maranello outfit didn't come until his fifth season with it.
Along the way, there must have been many times when the German wondered whether he was wasting his time, coming to grips with the reason why the Italian legends hadn't won a drivers' title since 1979 and a constructors' title since 1983.
In Ross Brawn, Hamilton (and Mercedes) have one element of the success story that was Ferrari between 2000 and 2004, but even that is in question.
Does Lewis really have the patience, the drive and the time to even begin to emulate what Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne and Todt achieved at Maranello?
Indeed, does Daimler?