Weekend Notebook: Ferrari’s Hamilton hedge, a Massa flashback, and Tsunoda’s Red Bull drumbeat
A rare quiet Saturday on the F1 calendar didn’t stop the rumor mill from kicking out a few fresh threads — especially in Maranello, where Lewis Hamilton’s future is already being gamed out despite the ink barely drying on his scarlet stationery.
Let’s start with the big red elephant. Italian media whispers say Ferrari are eyeing George Russell as a potential successor to Hamilton if the seven-time champion calls time after 2026. Hamilton’s Ferrari deal, widely described as a multi-year blockbuster, is believed to run through the end of ‘26, with La Gazzetta dello Sport previously claiming there’s a Hamilton-only option for 2027. That clause, if it exists, would leave Ferrari with minimal leverage should Lewis decide he’s staying — or walking.
The on-track subplot isn’t helping. Hamilton is still hunting his first Ferrari podium, and if 2026 turns into another grind, opting in for ‘27 becomes a harder sell. On the flip side, Ferrari would be daft not to keep contingency lists warm. Russell, anchored at Mercedes and regarded as a cornerstone for the Silver Arrows, would be a headline move and a headache to pull off — but F1’s silly season has a habit of ignoring headaches when an opportunity knocks.
Elsewhere, Felipe Massa’s long-running legal crusade over Crashgate has thrown up a sharp recollection from 2009. In filings, Massa says Ferrari’s management reprimanded him after he publicly suggested Fernando Alonso knew more than he let on about Renault’s orchestrated shunt in Singapore ‘08. According to Massa, the team’s contract handlers drafted a statement for him to issue, which he refused, choosing instead to “look to the future.” It’s a window into the politics of the time, months before Alonso ultimately landed at Ferrari for 2010, and a reminder that nothing in Maranello happens in a vacuum.
Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, is doing his own campaigning — on track and in front of microphones. The Japanese driver believes he’s wrung just about everything out of the second half of his season and hopes Red Bull have noticed as they assess who’ll sit alongside Max Verstappen in 2026. “It’s up to them,” is the gist from Tsunoda, “but I’m pushing where I can control.” It’s the right tune to sing. With 2026’s reset looming and the driver market already creaking at the seams, showing consistency — and a touch of maturity — is currency.
Back to Ferrari, and a quirky subplot: Hamilton’s penchant for submitting written feedback and “documents” has ruffled some feathers in commentary circles. One read, from PlanetF1’s Oliver Harden, suggests it might hint at a lack of trust in Ferrari’s internal processes. The comparison drawn is Sebastian Vettel’s hands-on (at times, hands-all-over) involvement during his tenure there — a style Hamilton reportedly canvassed Vettel about before making the leap to red. For what it’s worth, the best drivers are exacting to a fault; the trick for Ferrari is harnessing that intensity without suffocating their own systems. The line between helpful detail and unhelpful interference is razor thin when the stopwatch’s in charge.
And then there’s Adrian Newey, who remains the paddock’s most polite magpie. The veteran designer explained why you’ll often catch him prowling the grid with intent: teams may have armies of photographers hoovering up thousands of images, but nothing beats the human eye at the right angle. Photos flatten, angles deceive; a few minutes next to a rival floor edge or diffuser exit can reveal more than an entire week rummaging through a server. Everyone’s playing the same game, of course — spotters, screens, and frantic mechanics with heat blankets — but when Newey looks, people pay attention.
Big picture? This is the sport in transition. We’re midway through 2025 with fresh kit coming for 2026, driver options hidden in contracts, and teams already setting chess pieces for a meta-game we’ll only fully understand a year from now. Ferrari have to plan for multiple Hamilton timelines. Mercedes have to protect Russell from wandering eyes. Tsunoda wants his shot in the big seat. And Newey’s still peering over bodywork like it’s 1998.
The only certainty is the uncertainty. Which, for a quiet Saturday, is about as F1 as it gets.
