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Of the many narratives going into the new Formula 1 season, one question dominates: “Can Lewis Hamilton win the world championship with Ferrari?”
On paper, the match is made in heaven. Ferrari is the most successful team in F1’s 75-year history, with 16 constructors’ championships and 15 drivers’ world championships — but the latter has eluded the team since 2007. Hamilton is the most successful driver, tied on seven with Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher, but having registered 14 Grand Prix victories more.
In 2021, Hamilton was one lap away from becoming the greatest ever, when a controversial decision from the FIA race director in Abu Dhabi led to him losing to Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.
The years since have not been kind to Hamilton. He failed to win a race in 2022 and 2023, as his Mercedes car was not competitive. Although there were two victories last season, including an emotional British Grand Prix, the car was inconsistent and his teammate George Russell outqualified him 19-5 across the season. He ended seventh in the standings, his worst result in 18 years of racing.
Hamilton shocked F1 and his fans in February, when he announced he would leave Mercedes — with whom he won six of his titles — to join Ferrari for 2025. Then in November, after poor qualifying performances, he told reporters despondently, “I’m not fast any more.”
The two episodes are linked. It is hard for a driver to race with the same intensity in an uncompetitive car when he knows he is leaving. And it is common for a departing driver to be excluded from technical discussions that could have a bearing on the following year’s car. The results were nevertheless hard to comprehend. Some observers have questioned whether, at 40 years of age, Hamilton still has what it takes.
Ferrari’s team principal Fred Vasseur is not concerned. “I’m more than confident, because the difference is the motivation,” he says. “For sure, when you are 40, or if you are not in a positive environment — and you don’t have the feeling that you can win. But I’m convinced that Lewis wants to play a central role in the game with us — and no doubt he will be mega motivated.”
That sentiment is echoed throughout the sport as the two entities combine. “It is the number one driver in the number one team in the biggest motorsport on the planet,” said Paul Gandolfi, who joined marketing agency Right Formula from Ferrari earlier this year. “Everybody wants to see Lewis Hamilton win in a Ferrari and that is nothing but a good thing for Formula 1, in my view.”
Ferrari had a strong end to 2024. Although the team narrowly missed out to McLaren in the battle for the constructors’ championship, the car was competitive and both drivers scored wins in the closing stages of the season — usually a positive sign for the following year. “The competition is fierce and it is going to be close at the top,” Hamilton said, shortly before departing for the opening round in Melbourne.
Three days of testing in Bahrain in late February went well, although Hamilton lost track time latterly with a gearbox issue. He managed to cover 162 laps to acclimatise to his new car, but noted that Ferrari “have work to do”.
There is no immediate cause for concern. Performance levels can change over the 10 months of F1’s long season. McLaren started slowly last year and did not become a competitive force until Lando Norris won the Miami GP in May, while Red Bull Racing lost their edge around the same time. But it is not only the field that Hamilton needs to worry about. The threat within Ferrari is also significant. Charles Leclerc starts his seventh season with the team and has a huge advantage over Hamilton on institutional knowledge.
Now 27, Leclerc is also considered one of F1’s fastest qualifiers and has scored 26 pole positions, but his conversion rate is not the best; he has won only eight Grands Prix. Hamilton is known as one of the fastest drivers over a 300km Grand Prix distance. It is set to be a fascinating battle and one that will challenge the team’s race strategists. If Leclerc is ahead in a race by virtue of having outqualified Hamilton, how will they prioritise pit stop strategies?
“I am not thinking about [world title] number eight. I’m thinking like it is the first for Ferrari and the first championship that the team will have won for some time,” Hamilton says. “My resolution for this year was that my life, my mentality, had to be elevated in every area — my fitness, my time management, how I engage with my engineers, how much time I spend in the factory.”
Since joining Ferrari, Hamilton has spent a lot of time at its factory in Maranello, meeting all the staff. He is learning Italian and read a speech to staff in a more than passable Italian accent. The challenge he faces is significant, but it has been a positive start and he seems rejuvenated. “The passion here is like nothing I have ever seen,” he says. “They have got every ingredient needed to win a world championship. With the energy I am receiving from the team, there’s magic here.”
