What does success mean for Hamilton at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari stands as the defining story of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The sport’s biggest star—undoubtedly the only driver who truly transcends the sport—has joined its most iconic team, creating immense anticipation around how this partnership will unfold.

Here are the key points as Hamilton embarks on this new chapter.

Hamilton signed with Ferrari in January 2024, just six months after securing a new contract with Mercedes. The discussions over his Mercedes deal ultimately led to his decision to move to Ferrari.

Mercedes initially wanted to offer Hamilton just a one-year contract, as team boss Toto Wolff was focusing on long-term plans. However, Hamilton was determined to extend his career in F1, and the two sides reached a compromise with a “one-plus-one” agreement—one confirmed season for 2024, with an option for 2025.

The uncertainty around his future with Mercedes made Hamilton reconsider his options. He had always been intrigued by the idea of driving for Ferrari and shared a long-standing relationship with their team boss, Frederic Vasseur, dating back to their days in the junior categories.

Hamilton’s ultimate goal is to win an eighth world title, a record he believes was unfairly denied to him due to the controversial handling of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by race director Michael Masi. Mercedes had failed to provide him with a car capable of achieving that goal, and Hamilton began to question his future with the team.

When Ferrari offered him a long-term contract—at least through 2026—and a nearly 50% salary increase to around 65 million euros (£55m), the decision was clear. Ferrari’s stronger performance in 2023 compared to Mercedes made the move even more appealing.

In 2024, Hamilton faced the rare challenge of being out-qualified by his teammate, George Russell, for the first time in his career. Russell won 19 of their 24 qualifying battles, with Hamilton trailing by an average of 0.171 seconds. While both drivers won two races, Hamilton ended the season 22 points behind Russell in the standings.

This was a puzzling situation, as Hamilton and Russell had been closely matched in qualifying over the previous two years. However, Hamilton struggled more with the 2024 Mercedes’ handling, especially its slow-corner understeer. This issue forced Hamilton to manage rear tire temperatures, a task he struggled with more than Russell.

Frustrated by his qualifying deficit, Hamilton sometimes pushed too hard at the end of qualifying sessions, leading to mistakes that further hampered his performance. Engineers believed the car’s ground-effect design didn’t suit Hamilton’s driving style as well as previous models, but whether this will be the case at Ferrari remains uncertain.

The psychological factors also played a role. Hamilton spent an entire year with Mercedes, knowing he would leave at the season’s end, which may have affected his mindset. Vasseur believes this is an important aspect to consider, and Hamilton shares this view.

At 40, Hamilton is the second-oldest driver in F1. While athletic performance naturally declines with age, Fernando Alonso—who is over three years older—has shown no signs of slowing down, continuing to perform at a high level. There is no reason to believe Hamilton’s age will negatively impact his performance.

Though Hamilton does not speak Italian, he is learning the language, but this is unlikely to be a significant issue. Technical briefings at Ferrari are conducted in English, and Vasseur himself doesn’t speak Italian. Even Michael Schumacher, Ferrari’s most successful driver, couldn’t speak the language and still won five world titles with the team. As Vasseur puts it, “99% of the job is in English,” and while speaking Italian helps with team relations, it’s not crucial to performance.

Hamilton’s teammate at Ferrari is Charles Leclerc, a 27-year-old Monaco native who has won eight Grand Prix and set 26 pole positions since joining Ferrari in 2019. Leclerc is a Ferrari protege and is considered one of the fastest drivers in F1, especially over one lap.

While Leclerc has sometimes struggled in races, often over-performing in qualifying and not being able to maintain that pace over race distances, Hamilton is a brilliant qualifier himself. The two share a similar ability to produce stunning qualifying laps that leave fans in awe. However, Hamilton may face the reality of being out-qualified by Leclerc over the course of the season. Despite this, Hamilton’s experience and racecraft give him confidence that he can outperform Leclerc in the races.

Hamilton said of Leclerc: “Charles is very professional, very embedded in this team. He is very fast, and I am completely aware of that. You have seen his qualifying laps. I told him in Bahrain many years ago (in 2019) he had a bright future ahead of him. It is not going to be easy to beat him, especially in his home. But we will work together and have some great races, I hope.”

Ultimately, Hamilton cannot control whether Ferrari provides him with a competitive car. If they don’t, success would simply mean coming out on top against Leclerc. But Hamilton didn’t join Ferrari to settle for a few podiums. His goal is still an eighth world title, and he’s confident that he and Ferrari can achieve it. Given his immense career success and Ferrari’s history in F1, anything less than a championship would be disappointing.

As Hamilton puts it: “This team already has an insane legacy and is not short of championships they have won. They have a winning mentality in their DNA. The competition is fierce. It is going to be close, but I have a great teammate, and the energy I’ve seen from the team—there is magic here. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and everyone is putting that in. But it’s also about belief. Everyone in this team dreams of winning with Ferrari. I’ve worked with two title-winning teams before, and I know what one looks and feels like. The passion is like nothing you have ever seen. They have everything they need to win a championship. It’s just about putting the pieces together.”