Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has formally switched from Mercedes’ silver to Scuderia Ferrari’s iconic purple, together with his contract with the Italian aspect taking impact at first of the brand new yr.
The British driver signed a profitable £39m-per-year cope with Ferrari in February, nicely forward of moving into Mercedes’ W15 for his closing season with the Silver Arrows in 2024.
Lewis Hamilton’s Method 1 profession has been solely tied to Mercedes, following his debut with McLaren in 2007. Now, in 2025, he embarks on a brand new chapter with Ferrari, all whereas aiming to safe his eighth world championship title.
Lewis Hamilton is already starting to really feel at residence in his new environment. Forward of his transfer, he greeted his new Ferrari mechanics in Italian throughout the Abu Dhabi race weekend, signaling his enthusiasm for the change. Ferrari has organized a take a look at for Hamilton on the Fiorano Circuit later this month, although various dates are set in February in case poor climate prevents the January take a look at from happening.
Lewis Hamilton Aligns with Ayrton Senna’s Aspiration to End Profession at Ferrari
By becoming a member of Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton turns into a part of an unique group of world champions who’ve raced for the legendary workforce, together with Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton’s hero, Ayrton Senna, by no means had the possibility to drive for Ferrari, however in response to journalist Ralf Bach, the British driver shares the identical aspirations because the Brazilian legend about wanting to finish his profession with Method 1’s most profitable workforce.
The Brazilian F1 legend secured three world titles with McLaren in 1988, 1990, and 1991, additionally driving for Lotus and Williams all through his profession. Regardless of this, he all the time dreamt of racing for Ferrari.
Luca di Montezemolo, the previous Ferrari president, revealed that Ayrton Senna had expressed a need to complete his F1 profession with the Maranello workforce, and negotiations had been underway earlier than his tragic dying on the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Because the seven-time F1 world champion realizes his personal dream of racing for the Italian aspect, Ralf Bach believes that had Senna been given the chance, he too would have joined the Scuderia to shut out his profession.
Ralf Bach defined through the F1-insider.com YouTube channel that Hamilton is a extremely enticing determine in a constructive sense, and Ferrari represented a big draw for him. He urged that Hamilton possible shared the identical mindset as his idol, Ayrton Senna, who, had it not been for the tragic accident in Imola, would have possible completed his profession at Ferrari. Bach emphasised that this side performs a big function in Hamilton’s choice. He additionally identified that Hamilton, having solely ever pushed for Mercedes by way of engine suppliers, possible felt the necessity for a change later in his profession. In accordance with Bach, if one needs one thing totally different in Method 1, Ferrari is the logical alternative. Bach, who has spent over 40 years as an F1 journalist, famous that Hamilton possible needed to expertise a brand new problem earlier than the top of his profession.
Can Lewis Hamilton Depart His Mercedes Struggles Behind and Succeed at Ferrari?
Between 2014 and 2020, Lewis Hamilton loved unparalleled success with Mercedes, successful six of his seven drivers’ championships and shattering quite a few data. Nonetheless, the shift to Method 1’s floor impact period proved difficult for the Briton, who struggled to seek out consistency in recent times.
At 39, Hamilton managed to safe two victories in 2024, triumphing at Silverstone and Spa. These wins marked his first since 2021 however supplied solely a quick respite in a season that noticed him end a disappointing seventh within the drivers’ standings—his lowest-ever placement in his F1 profession.
The British driver’s struggles with Mercedes in 2024 have raised doubts about whether or not he can regain his peak type at Ferrari. Critics, together with Flavio Briatore, have questioned Ferrari’s choice to signal Hamilton, with Flavio Briatore stating he “wouldn’t have signed” the seven-time champion, given the workforce’s already sturdy lineup with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc, who has been a cornerstone of Ferrari since becoming a member of in 2019, is poised to be a formidable rival for Hamilton. Referred to as one of many quickest drivers over a single lap, Charles Leclerc’s familiarity with the Scuderia and his distinctive qualifying tempo may problem Lewis Hamilton’s dominance.
Ferrari workforce principal Frederic Vasseur has indicated that the workforce will enable its drivers to race freely in 2025, creating the potential for an electrifying intra-team battle. With two fiercely aggressive drivers vying for supremacy, Hamilton faces the twin problem of adapting to Ferrari and proving he nonetheless has what it takes to compete on the high degree.
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