Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari is the deal of the century.
If we said that the announcement of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025 is the announcement of the century we would not be afraid of being proven wrong. In the motorsport world, of course, but never before has a champion of this caliber arrived at Ferrari. Neither Schumacher, nor Alonso, nor Vettel when they moved to Ferrari were such accomplished drivers, despite their world titles. After all, it would be impossible to be more successful than the most successful driver in history. With his 7 world championships, his 103 victories and 104 pole positions, the Englishman is the holder of practically all the Formula 1 records. The enthusiasm is still that of a child. It is no mystery, in fact, that the Englishman has always been an admirer of the little horse. “Throughout my racing career, from karting onwards, I have always seen Ferrari as a top team and it is no mystery that driving for them is always the desire of every driver. Everyone who looks at a Ferrari thinks it’s something fantastic” he said just a few years ago. Furthermore, after a Monza, he said: “For many years I have come to Monza, walking alongside the fans. I could clearly hear what they were saying to me: “Come to Ferrari, Lewis.” Well, these words warmed my heart. It’s quite incredible that he has never driven for the Red team in so many years. Because let’s face it, the Prancing Horse is a dream for anyone, the goal to reach. It’s never really been possible for me and I’ll never quite know exactly why. I’ve seen pictures of their pilots and red is always red. I have a couple of Ferraris at home: I can only drive the road ones“. An excerpt from the manual on how to make a Ferrari fan fall in love;
The advantages that Lewis brings at a brand level they are absolutely out of the question. Let’s talk about the decline in appeal that has befallen Ferrari in recent years. Remember the grandstands when Schumacher was racing? It was really difficult to see a colored hat other than red. A flood of Ferrari fans invaded every circuit on the calendar, regardless of whether it was Monza or Suzuka. Today, Formula 1 followers seem equally divided between Ferrari fans, Max’s orange tide and Mercedes fans. Silverstone, in particular, is the land of Hamilton’s conquest, which leaves McLaren and Norris with only a handful of fans. With the arrival of Hamilton it will be logical to think of a migration from gray to red, with the Ferrari merchandising coffers to thank. Sponsors will also be significantly more attracted by the idea of having Hamilton as a testimonial. From this point of view the Lewis+Ferrari combination seems truly successful from every point of view;
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Working with Hamilton will be intriguing and exciting. All those who orbit around the Ferrari world are certainly thinking this, from the mechanics, to the managers, to the engineers, to the team principal (who, in truth, has known Hamilton since 2004). Hamilton has the charisma of the greats and, over the years, thanks also to some interventions off the track, he has gained an attractive power that is probably unique in Formula 1. From his side, in fact, we believe that he can try to bring engineers and technicians capable of bringing Ferrari back to its former glory. Furthermore, and this does not seem like a small thing to us, i technicians will finally return to work with a multiple world champion. It hasn’t happened since Vettel. The champion has a different attitude, his words weigh more than a rider who has yet to demonstrate. The bar will be raised for everyone, even for his future teammate Charles Leclerc, who a few months ago declared that “it would have been an incredible honor to race alongside Hamilton”;
The fans are divided. And it couldn’t be otherwise. If on the one hand a good portion of Ferrari fans were overwhelmed by the hype of having the “old enemy” among their ranks, on the other there are those who view this operation with skepticism. Hamilton, in his career, has always proven to be a fair and correct opponent (no one, after that Singapore, would have been able to react with his elegance) and seeing a 7-time world champion driving “his own” car can only create a resounding enthusiasm. It is therefore easy to imagine a full house starting from the first race of 2025, when the stands will hopefully return to being red. On the other hand, however, there is the rightful skepticism of some. Hamilton has already probably given his best in terms of pure speed. It is difficult to expect the exuberance of the first years in Formula 1 or the arrogance of the years in Mercedes. Furthermore, the fear is that Elkann, desiring Hamilton so ardently, has not repeated a Ronaldo-bis operation, which turned out to be a real failure in economic terms;
When he drives a Ferrari for the first time, Hamilton will have just turned 40. Just to be clear, no one over 40 has ever won a race in the history of Formula 1. Plus, Hamilton will be dealing with a problematic car; Ferrari’s problems, in fact, are well known and the introduction of the new regulation dated 2022 has done nothing but increase the gap with the leader, first Mercedes and then Red Bull. It is legitimate to have some doubts, therefore. We, however, want to dispel any doubts: despite the years, Hamilton is still an extremely fast driver. This is demonstrated by the final ranking of last championship: 234 points for him, 175 for his teammate, the talented George Russell. The Englishman’s move, however, seems to be the right one. “Give a child a sheet of paper, some colors and ask him to draw a car, he will surely make it red”, said Enzo Ferrari. Here, Hamilton’s dream seems to have just come true.