Nothing has ever motivated Lewis Hamilton more than the naysayers of this world. Where the sceptics see adversity, Hamilton sees opportunity. And last month, the seven-time world champion had a message for the doubters ahead of the most anticipated phase of his glittering Formula One career.
“Don’t ever compare me to anyone else,” he toldTime. “I’m the first and only Black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different… I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife or kids. I’m focused on one thing and that’s winning.”
Has the Hamilton-Ferrari hype train caught you yet? If so, what drew you in? Was it the joyous scenes of week one, appearing in a black suit and Ferrari race gear in Maranello for the first time? Was it London, F1 75 Live and its adoring British crowd? Or was it Bahrain, Milan, and now Melbourne, as the sight of F1’s joint-most successful driver in peerless scarlet red becomes the new reality?
Regardless, some 13 months on from the most startling and sparkling F1 transfer of all time, the talking stops this weekend with Hamilton’s debut in the iconic colours of the prancing horse in Australia. It marks the start of a 24-race journey in 2025, which, no matter the result, will enthral F1’s fanatical fanbase and, by extension, the sporting world.
Can he win a record-breaking eighth world championship, taking him ahead of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher? It’s a far-fetched possibility. The bookies will tell you he is fourth-favourite – and perhaps even that is a tad generous. Hamilton is coming into this 2025 season off the back of his worst year in F1 and a torrid qualifying record, following three years of frustration in a capricious breed of Mercedes car.
But because it’s Hamilton – and because it’s Ferrari – it’s still a possibility. Nothing gets his juices flowing more than a competitive car beneath him.
“I think the move is absolutely brilliant,” Nigel Mansell, the last English driver to race for Ferrari full-time, tells The Independent. The devoted tifosi fanbase christened Mansell “Il Leone” (The Lion), after his two-year stint in 1989-1990.
“Lewis is clever. He gets the support required throughout his career, resulting in an amazing amount of world championships. I don’t think Lewis will have too many challenges at Ferrari – he’ll embrace it and the fans will embrace him.”
You can say that again. Hamilton’s first weeks, which he described as “magic”, have turned heads and cashed cheques. His first Ferrari-related Instagram post, at 5.7 million likes, became the most liked F1 post of all time on the platform. Ferrari merchandise sales have soared by 400 per cent; the company’s value rose more than 10 per cent to almost £5.5bn following the announcement of his move last February.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere,” says Haas and Ferrari Academy driver Ollie Bearman, who was present in Maranello with thousands surrounding the factory in that first week.
“It was very cool to be there on such a historic day that will probably be remembered as a landmark day in F1 history.”
At this point, it should be noted that not all the discourse has been complimentary. As well as critics such as ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and former team owner Eddie Jordan, the old Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto, now heading up the Sauber (soon-to-be Audi) project, remarked last year that the pair were, in fact, not a good fit.
“He is a driver maybe at the wrong side of his career,” he said. “I would say if you would not have signed Lewis today, Max [Verstappen] would have been in a Ferrari next year.”
But Binotto is in the minority. Ultimately, Ferrari, as a company and as a fanbase, find vindication and joy in the adoration of their superstars. And Hamilton no doubt loves to be loved.
“For me, Lewis and Ferrari are the perfect match,” former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley says. Ironically, Hamilton was Smedley’s arch-rival when he was Felipe Massa’s race engineer in the famous 2008 season.
“Lewis transcended the sport a long time ago. He’s a driver who has that magic of his own and if you link him up with Ferrari, who have that aura too, then it was always going to trigger this synergetic explosion. From the outset, it seems to me a marriage made in heaven.”
Yet the stratospheric level of fandom and anticipation should not mean Hamilton’s fluctuating performances over the last three years are overlooked.
Concern over his displays last year compared to Mercedes teammate George Russell – particularly in qualifying, with the Brit 13 years younger strikingly leading their head-to-head 19-5 – will not abate until Hamilton shows signs of quick one-lap pace at the start of this campaign.
Aligned with that comes the most intriguing of driver partnerships alongside Charles Leclerc – with the risk of the pair taking points off each other, in a similar vein to McLaren’s policy of two No 1 drivers – who many believe to be the quickest qualifier in the sport.
Hamilton himself was alarmed, at the back end of last year, with his speed on a Saturday. Three words were all it took: “I’m just slow,” he said.
But this is exactly why a fresh start, a new challenge, could be the catalyst which sparks the 40-year-old back into title contention again.
Smedley adds: “Lewis’s biggest challenge is to bring his own imitable style of how he does business in F1, all that acumen and knowledge of winning races, but doing it harmoniously with Ferrari.
“His brilliance cannot become a millstone for Ferrari but something that helps them deliver that extra 2 per cent, which motivates the whole team. That’s all they need.”
While so much is new – Hamilton is learning Italian and has demonstrated a willingness to step outside his comfort zone and try in public already – there is familiarity within the team. Team principal Frederic Vasseur was his boss back at GP2 level in 2006, a year prior to his F1 debut, while long-time trainer and ally Angela Cullen is back in his corner after departing two years ago.
Hamilton also switched from Mercedes to Ferrari alongside engineer Loic Serra and deputy team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio. Alongside manager Marc Hynes and, of course, his father Anthony, Hamilton has the strongest of support networks surrounding him. He has left no stone unturned.
All of it combined has made him a figure “reborn”, to use the phrase of Verstappen last month. Hamilton himself acknowledged that he has trained like he’s never trained before in the off-season, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this Sunday. A race he retired from last year due to an engine failure; he can ill-afford that sort of start this time around.
It would be foolhardy to completely dismiss Hamilton’s title prospects in 2025, even with Lando Norris, Verstappen and Leclerc all with shorter odds to their name. Hamilton’s race nous and craft are still evident – as illustrated by his 2024 Silverstone win – and should a title race develop, his experience in such circumstances can only be a benefit.
Hamilton is a driver, and a man, completely rejuvenated at the start of this year. And why shouldn’t he be? Should he win number eight with Ferrari, it would be the greatest career finale this sport has ever seen.
Article originally published on 12 March 2025
