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Tyres NorthamptonWith Formula One deciding to bring all the constructors together at the O2 Arena for a 'season launch' in mid-February, you'd be forgiven for thinking there'd be no noteworthy news from the sport this month. You'd be wrong.
Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari marked one of the most significant and anticipated moments in Formula 1's modern era. The seven-time world champion donned the famous red overalls for the first time last week, igniting a media frenzy in both Italy and the UK. Attention on the Scuderia and Hamilton reached a fever pitch as the two legends of F1 set to work. Hamilton's new F1 era had begun.
Until last week, Hamilton's career has always been synonymous with Mercedes power. His rookie days at McLaren had Mercedes-Benz engines powering the Brit to his first pole positions, podiums, wins, and the 2008 championship. He switched to the works team to record-breaking success, with the Silver Arrows bringing home six more titles. However, a move to Ferrari had long been rumoured as Hamilton's ultimate dream.
That became a reality thanks to Frederic Vasseur, a figure instrumental in Hamilton's early rise to the top. The Frenchman, who founded and managed the ART GP team Hamilton drove for during his 2006 GP2-winning campaign, provided a familiar and trusted face to lure Hamilton to Italy. We'll never know whether Hamilton would've joined the Prancing Horse if another Team Principal was in charge — and rumours suggested Red Bull's Christian Horner was offered the role. In signing Hamilton, Vasseur has the most potent driver pairing for 2025 by some margin.
Since Vasseur took the reigns at Ferrari in 2023, the Scuderia secured six victories at the hands of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. That return is in stark contrast to the four wins achieved over Ferrari's previous three seasons. Adding Hamilton to the mix should see that trajectory continue, potentially to championship-winning ways. The starting point of any such title campaign began last week.
Hamilton's first days as a Ferrari driver had the seven-time champion chronicling the journey on social media like a colleague on an all-inclusive holiday. He shared on Instagram that, "There are some days that you know you'll remember forever, and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days. I've been lucky enough to achieve things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red." Standing outside Ferrari's headquarters last Monday with an oversized jacket, the first-day-at-school photography would've felt oddly familiar for many.
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Any relatability you might've felt to a seven-time F1 champion soon faded the following day when Ferrari posted videos of Hamilton's factory tour. Meeting the fanatic Tifosi and shaking hands with new colleagues who looked slightly starstruck isn't an experience many people will enjoy. It all reached a crescendo by Wednesday when the first photos in Ferrari overalls emerged, simply captioned "FIRST TIME IN RED," followed by another image of his 2025 helmet, reminiscent of his debut year in 2007, with the caption "AND YELLOW."
The broadcast media's cameras later captured Hamilton's first laps in Ferrari machinery. Driving the Scuderia's 2023 car at Fiorano Circuit during a foggy Italian morning, the shakedown was to help team and driver understand racing procedures. Even though it was largely an administrative exercise, the sight of Hamilton's number 44 on a Ferrari was a poignant moment where F1's most successful driver had unequivocally joined the sport's most storied team.
Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari introduces a fascinating dynamic with Leclerc, who has been the team's cornerstone since 2019. Leclerc, a Ferrari Driver Academy graduate, has long been the Tifosi's hero. Winning the Italian GP — twice — for Ferrari is a surefire way to become an honourary part of Italian sporting royalty. Leclerc's consistent performances have amassed 43 podium finishes for Ferrari, but he's yet to have a year fighting for a title. With the team's current course, narrowly missing out on the Constructors' Championship last year, that could change very soon.
Vasseur faces a delicate balancing act in managing his two talents. Should Ferrari's upward momentum continue, the team will inevitably need to prioritise one driver in their pursuit of bringing a title back to Maranello. Will Ferrari stand by their homegrown hopeful in Leclerc, or back the superstar signing in Hamilton who is unrivalled in his ability to deliver championship glory?
Hamilton remains hungry to claim his eighth world title. He's used emotional wording to say the 2021 championship was "obviously robbed" from him, and he'll want to right that wrong. His final seasons with Mercedes were relatively barren by his high standards, with just two wins in three years, including a dramatic rain-soaked triumph at Silverstone last season. Mercedes' decline coincided with Ferrari's growth, and the Prancing Horse's Vasseur-led resurgence offers Hamilton a real shot at glory.
The sport was the most competitive it has ever been in 2024 and the sight of Hamilton in Ferrari red has already provided an unforgettable start to 2025. Whatever happens in the coming season, Hamilton's first week in Maranello is the start of a new age for Ferrari. Lights out in Melbourne on March 16th is when we'll see the first representative glimpse at what this partnership can achieve.