Leo Turini: Does Hamilton still believe in this project?

      The Dutch Grand Prix ended with Ferrari’s first double retirement of the season. Such a result upset not only all Scuderia fans but also veteran Italian motorsport journalist Leo Turini, who began to wonder whether Lewis Hamilton had thrown in the towel.

      Oh, the memories! Exactly fifty years ago, in September 1975 at Monza, Ferrari experienced one of the greatest days in its history. Niki Lauda became world champion, and his teammate Clay Regazzoni won the Italian Grand Prix. In Maranello they furtively wiped away a stingy tear…

      I speak of the past, friends, to cheer myself and you. The present is depressing! Zero points for the Prancing Horse on Dutch tarmac on the day Lando Norris’s retirement brought Oscar Piastri closer to the title, and the team from Faenza, the former Minardi, celebrated a deserved third place with the breathtaking Isack Hadjar, a truly interesting young man.

      Of course, the reasons for Ferrari’s double retirement cannot be assessed unequivocally. Let us leave aside the well-known problems of the SF-25, a car that was born unsuccessful and became even worse, but with all due respect the gap in results between the two drivers is colossal.

      There is no point beating around the bush. It is not Hamilton’s fault that Ferrari built such a car. But it is Hamilton’s fault that he was the only one to wreck the car on track.

      So, let us return to the questions I have already asked: does Lewis still believe in this project? Does he believe he can always remain Formula 1’s leading man? Or has he already mentally given up, sated with fame and money?

      Perhaps a clue to the right answer will appear in a few days at Monza. Of course, the assessment of the operation to recruit Hamilton to Ferrari, which I supported, is disheartening. Very disheartening.

      A completely different story, in fact the complete opposite, concerns Charles Leclerc. He was pushed off the track by an uncontrolled move from Kimi Antonelli. Given his youth, Kimi has earned his share of mistakes, though it would be better not to repeat them. And Charles, before the crash, was magnificent and simply outstanding.

      I admit, seeing Charles Leclerc reduced to a spectator, watching the remaining laps of the race from a folding chair, filled me with deep melancholy. I got the impression he was reflecting on a career spent in the name of love for Ferrari, which never became mutual. The team has not been able to give him a car with which he could win a title. At least, bless him!

      Sunday — Monza, where a year ago Leclerc and Ferrari triumphed. Or maybe it’s just another memory…