Last Updated on January 20 2025, 9:45 am
Lewis Hamilton is just days away from his first drive in a Ferrari F1 car at a test arranged by the team in Fiorano. He was rumoured to have been offered Enzo’s old house alongside the circuit, a favour only offered to Scuderia legend Michael Schumacher.
Maybe out of a wish for harmony with his new team mate, Hamilton has denied he will be staying there as the test is for just one day. The arrival of the seven times world champion in Italy has created something of a stir with the tifosi, as the local police are believed to be recruiting outside help to manage the crowds which will gather to watch.
Yet Hamilton’s move to Ferrari still smacks of desperation by Lewis to ensure his F1 career is extended to at least 2026, with Italian media reporting he is guaranteed one year under the new regulations. Contrast this with Mercedes, who signed an alleged multi-year deal with their star driver, only for it to become apparent just months later, it was only guaranteeing Lewis a single season in 2024, then by mutual agreement beyond then.
Hamilton key skill his one lap speed
One of the characteristics which has marked Hamilton’s career has been his speed in qualifying and the British drivers’ 104 career starts from the front ellipse even that of Michael Schumacher, second on the all time list, with his 68 pole positions. Only Jim Clarke and Ayrton Senna have better pole to race start percentages and both of these drivers died whilst at the height of their powers.
In his book, “Life in the fast lane” Jenson Button speaks of his time together with Hamilton at McLaren and contrasts his skills with that of Fernando Alonso. “Lewis was unbelievably quick and could pull a lap out of the bag like that. Him and Ayrton Senna were the quickest guys over one lap maybe ever, but Fernando was the most well-rounded driver,” Button concluded.
If Hamilton’s career success was built around his dominance in qualifying, then the last three seasons alongside George Russell at Mercedes suggest the British driver may be in terminal decline. In his final race with the silver arrows Hamilton had to finish ahead of his team mate, to ensure during three years together, it was Lewis who outscored Russell in the final tally of points.
Only Jenson Button has achieved this feat over Hamilton, yet this was in fact the consolation prize for the seven times world champion as on every other metric Russell outperformed his team mate since they began racing together in 2022. Qualifying last season was a humiliation for Lewis as he suffered a hammering from George with the final tally 19-5.
Leclerc a similar challenge to Russell
Such was the despondency felt by the former world champion, following seven defeats to Russell in the eight races held in 2024, he said he didn’t expect to line up ahead of his team mate for the remainder of the year.
Despite failing to make it out of Q1 for the fourth time in 2024, in his final weekend for Mercedes, the race on Sunday was a markedly different affair for the British driver. After penalties Hamilton was to start in P16 but what followed was a drive to fourth place reminiscent of the best of Lewis’ career and provided some kind of solace as he said goodbye to his team of twelve campaigns.
As Lewis heads for Ferrari another stiff test awaits the British driver. Charles Leclerc is renown for his one lap pace and has to date in his F1 career claimed 26 pole positions. Ex-team mate and 2016 world champion, Nico Rosberg, questions how Hamilton will fair alongside the Monegasque who he believes to be at a “similar level” to Russell.
When asked which Ferrari team mate will overcome the other, Rosberg was adamant. “If you take [Abu Dhabi], then definitely Charles,” Rosberg told Sky F1. “Because Charles will be on a similar level to George Russell, which is kind of the best of the next generation level, except for Verstappen, [who] was a little higher again, and Lewis is just struggling at the moment, and we don’t really know why.”
GOAT status a bridge too far
“So if it’s as of today, then Charles will beat him in the same way as George Russell is beating him,” Rosberg opined. Yet in what appeared like blowing smoke up the ass of his former team mate, Rosberg refuses to rule out a resurgent Hamilton because, “Lewis is the greatest of all time,” he said.
“We still give him the benefit of the doubt that he can be back to his usual best, and then he should be slightly ahead of Charles at the end of the year.”
Rosberg attributing GOAT status to Hamilton will be hotly contested, given most of Lewis’ F1 success was with a team which was the most dominant in the history of Formula One. Further, once Rosberg retired at the end of 2017, Hamilton was presented with wingman, Valtteri Bottas, who was responsible for following Lewis home at the chequered flag.
Former F1 racer and Mercedes’ senior simulator driver, Anthony Davidson, believes Ferrari have recruited Hamilton in the hope that a change of scenery will somehow reset the miserable experience Lewis has been suffering since 2021. “I think they’re hoping that his fire is rekindled when he gets into that car, and that he can find his mojo again,” Davidson told Sky F1.
Ferrari favourites as 2025 front runners
“I think this year has been particularly tough for Lewis – I can’t imagine, as an ex-driver myself, feeling for a whole season, knowing you’re going to stop, knowing that relationship is going to end.
“It must have been tricky for Lewis this season. I think that’s why he’s been a bit up and down. Give him that benefit of the doubt,” concludes the Sky F1 commentator.
Ferrari finished the 2024 season as the strongest of the teams as they closed the gap to McLaren in the constructors to just 14 points. Should the Italian F1 squad start this year as they ended last, then the spotlight will firmly be on Lewis ion a car capable of winning races. Whilst Leclerc is super quick over a single lap and may eclipse his new team mate, during the time he spent with Carlos Sainz at Ferrari Leclerc has proven to be error prone, which is where Hamilton must pounce.
Jenson Button snubs Michael Schumacher
They were the worst of friends and the worst of team mates, something which can be said of most F1 drivers. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button spent three years together at McLaren before the former announced his shock move to the Mercedes team for 2013.
Hamilton had won a world title in 2008 with McLaren and Button win 2009 with Brawn GP, which ironically became Mercedes where Hamilton was to enjoy huge success. Button is the only F1 team mate who has outscored Hamilton during their time together.
Lewis prevented this from happening between himself and George Russell by outscoring the man from King’s Lynn in the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi. Button extended his career with the team from Woking racing full time between 2010-2016 and in having announced his retirement team boss Ron Dennis made Button an ambassador for McLaren…. READ MORE
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The Merc was only truly dominant 2014 – 2016 where Hamilton beat a highly competent teammate (except 2016 where Hamilton suffered too many reliability issues). Thereafter 2017 – 2021 was not always in the quikest car and it was during this period Hamilton arguably produced many of his greatest drives – including 2021 where he should have beaten Verstappen in what was often a slower car that had ceased being developed half way through the season. As for the sly dig about Bottas – as with Rosberg he was given EQUAL treatment at the start of every season and only when it became obvious Bottas was out of the title race would he be asked to ‘sometimes’ play the role of wingman. Enough said.