Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has hit back at people claiming Lewis Hamilton is past his prime, saying the seven-time World Champion has done it all in Formula 1.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes after more than a decade together after this season, switching to join Scuderia Ferrari for the F1 2025 campaign.
Hamilton's move to Ferrari proved one of the big bombshells of the off-season prior to F1 2024, with the seven-time F1 World Champion calling time on his incredibly successful tenure at Mercedes.
Indeed, since joining the Brackley-based squad in 2013, he and Mercedes created the most successful driver/team partnership in F1 history as Hamilton racked up six titles to add to his 2008 McLaren victory.
But, with Mercedes unable to challenge Red Bull since the start of the current ground-effect regulations which began in 2022, Hamilton has opted for a fresh challenge by switching to Ferrari and lining up alongside the highly-rated Charles Leclerc for what will be a formidable task in adjusting to life with a new team and dynamic.
Victories at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps this season have returned Hamilton to the top step of the podium after two years without a victory, but the British driver has struggled for form alongside George Russell - to the point where he has struggled to hide his disappointment, particularly in qualifying.
Appearing at the Red Bull Showrun in Galway, Ireland, over the weekend, David Coulthard spoke to PlanetF1.com about a variety of topics, including how Hamilton might fare at Ferrari in his first season with Maranello.
"It's an interesting question, because Lewis has got nothing to prove. He's a seven-time World Champion," Coulthard said.
"He could have been nine or 10, you know, because he's been pretty close on other occasions.
"I personally don't think it's about how many titles you get that defines how great a driver you are.
"I know the history books… they need that, don't they? They need him to have eight, so he can be undisputed champion of the world.
"But, whatever he does, there'll be someone comes along and betters it in the future, because every generation should be better.
"Otherwise, we would not have evolved as humans! So it's not about trying to cast what he's achieved."
But the extent of the challenge facing Hamilton can't be underestimated - it's his first time driving in F1 without Mercedes power, as well as for a non-British-based team. On top of that, Hamilton has grown accustomed to being the top dog in a team - a dynamic which he will have to earn again at Ferrari by beating the much-loved Leclerc.
But such a challenge hasn't put Hamilton off, although Coulthard said it remains to be seen whether or not Ferrari is getting the seven-time F1 World Champion revitalised and back at his best, or whether his outright speed has started to dip with age.
"I suspect [the move] was slightly emotional and in a frustrated place. Some relationships, over time, become a bit stale," Coulthard said.
"He obviously saw the opportunity at Ferrari a bit like, I guess, Mercedes when they brought Michael [Schumacher] back.
"They thought they were getting the Michael of his Ferrari era, and then they found out they just got a good Michael.
"Ferrari may end up just getting a good Lewis. A good Lewis is still pretty handy, but he's been consistently outperformed by George this year - maybe not in the championship points table, but in terms of qualifying and that.
"What I lacked in my career was that qualifying speed. If I look at the some of the fastest drivers, your Mikas, Kimis, Michaels, and Ayrtons and whoever else fits into that, these guys just have speed.
"The minute they lose that little bit of speed… I'm not a big football fan, but I hear the analogy about a striker losing a yard - the thing that allowed them to get there and put the ball in the back of the net was they were just that wee bit quicker.
"The minute they lose that speed… they're still brilliant, but they're not as brilliant as they were.
"So Lewis may well not quite deliver what he's hoping for, because, first of all, he's got to outqualify Charles.
"I think Charles, at 26/27, he's still pretty handy, and that may make it difficult for Lewis."
