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Hamilton criticised for his Ferrari debut behaviour by Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson, the start of Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm, has criticised the behaviour of Lewis Hamilton during his first few days as a Ferrari driver, with the 64-year-old saying that seven-time world champion has made his entrance at the Scuderia too much of a spectacle.
The first few days of Hamilton becoming a Ferrari driver had been months in the making, with the huge transfer from Mercedes to the Prancing Horse announced before the 2024 season got underway. As soon as 2025 came around, the Brit became the newest member of the Italian team, and it was celebrated with photos in front of Enzo Ferrari's house in Maranello, followed by a TPC test that was filmed, with hundreds of fans gathering at the Fiorano circuit to catch a glimpse of Hamilton.
However, Clarkson, in his Sunday column for The Sun newspaper, took a swipe at Hamilton and Ferrari's first few days together, questioning their mindset: "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.
"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," continued the former car journalist.
The TV personality has regularly had many controversies himself in the past. For instance, he insulted the LGBTQ community, and he also had to apologise for allegedly using a racial slur while filming. After yet another moment, Clarkson was sacked in 2015 by the BBC, the broadcaster he worked for when presenting Top Gear, for punching one of the show's producers. He moved to present The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, and now, he has his own show, Clarkson's Farm, following him as he works on his own farm.
Clarkson has harsh words for Ferrari workers
Clarkson also had some strong words for the many people who work at Ferrari, whom he called "the fawning engineers" when they were seen applauding Hamilton during a tour of the Maranello factory.
"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?", Clarkson concluded.
This article was created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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