Sebastian Vettel has given insight into the advice he gave Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Briton’s move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Vettel raced for the Scuderia from 2015 to 2020, becoming its third-most successful driver in terms of grand prix victories, though he was twice beaten to the title by Hamilton.
The German, who previously competed for Faenza-based outfit Toro Rosso from 2007 to 2008 before being promoted to Red Bull in England, reckons learning Italian is key to a seamless integration in Maranello.
This would have been even more meaningful for Hamilton, who represented British squads McLaren and Mercedes for 18 years before making that Ferrari move. Even in junior formulae, Hamilton raced only for the Manor and ASM/ART teams, which were British and French respectively.
Asked about his own experience going from Red Bull to Ferrari in the Beyond The Grid podcast, Vettel said: “Different, very different. I loved it. I don't regret it and I had a fantastic time.
“I adapted, and I loved it. I love the British humour, I love the British people, I love a lot of things about it – the racing, the approach. But in a way I think I adapted. Now, I don't want to say that Lewis didn't adapt or British drivers do not have to adapt – of course you have to adapt and of course you're traveling the world and of course you're seeing things and learning – but I don't know how it is or how it would have been had my mother tongue been English, and I'm not comfortable in a foreign language, and then moving somewhere else.
“Now, for Lewis the international language obviously happens to be is English, he was with a British team; every team is different, very different, and he was with Mercedes for a long, long time. And then the move to Ferrari, for sure it's going to be a huge difference, because the heart and the culture of the team is Italian.
“The language is English, I mean he understands everybody in the team. But there are also employees that he doesn't understand because they don't speak English or they don't speak English very well, and if you don't speak a language very well, you get along but do you really get the people? And do you get the culture?”
Vettel himself reckons he should have worked harder in this area to make his Ferrari stint a success.
“I think that's a crucial mistake that I've done, looking back,” he added. “I learned Italian, I took classes, and I sort of got along and I understood, but I wasn't perfect. I should have really studied Italian more. Maybe also spend more time in Italy to really understand the culture more – because culture is also the people.
“And I told Lewis before when he made the move – I said: ‘The only advice I can give you, the best advice I can give you, is learn the language. Learn it really, really well.’ The way to learn a language, you have to expose yourself, so you start to speak to the people, you are in the country where they speak the language, so you're exposing yourself to the culture, so the rest will then fall into place.
“Now, of course, with racing and when you talk about your set-up and so on, you could argue it's irrelevant – it is irrelevant, but for the bigger picture, to get the culture and the spirit, it is so important.”
So how is Hamilton’s Italian? Asked this very question at a Peroni event in July, the seven-time world champion smiled but admitted: “Not great. I started out having lots and lots of lessons, and then the season just got so hectic and I’ve kind of like fallen off a cliff. I need to get back on. I was on like Duolingo, I was doing other stuff; weeks and weeks and weeks I was good at it, and now literally I’ve done nothing for the last couple of months.”
“I really want to move to Italy, but it’s been almost impossible this year. I’m there every week, but my dream is to be able to properly speak Italian.”
Hamilton completed his maiden F1 season with Ferrari in sixth place in the drivers’ championship – the year also marked the first time he failed to take a podium finish in a whole campaign.
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