Why fans must not repeat past mistakes by doubting Hamilton ahead of Ferrari move

One of the things that has amused me over the winter is the reaction to Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari. Formula 1’s most divisive driver continues to spark debate before he’s even driven one of the team’s famous red machines. 

Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore, ex-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan have all recently had their say. The first two explained why Hamilton would not have been their first choice. Jordan, meanwhile, went so far as to suggest that Ferrari chairman John Elkann must have “rocks in his head” to sign the deal off. 

No driver in their forties has won an F1 world title since Jack Brabham in 1966, and only Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio did so before him. But the reason I find the scepticism amusing is because whenever I think about Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, I remember writing about how it was going to be a complete disaster. 

I could not fathom how, or indeed why, he would leave regular winner McLaren, which had finished 2012 with the most competitive car and a Brazilian Grand Prix win for Jenson Button, who claimed he couldn’t wait for 2013. Looking back at Hamilton’s six world titles with Mercedes – plus McLaren’s wretched 2013 season, which started a downward spiral – the thought that I’d even questioned his decision makes me laugh and feel a bit silly. 

Had he stayed at McLaren, the chances are he’d have retired by now with a solitary title to his name and a reputation as a driver who should have won more. Only Hamilton could decide what was the right move for him, based on the facts he had available, which included extensive details of Mercedes’ plans for the 2014 season and the introduction of the turbo-hybrid engines. 

Which is why it is important to keep that in mind this time around, too. We need to remember that it was Hamilton’s decision to rip up his contract with Mercedes and seek a new challenge with Ferrari, which shows two things. Firstly, that he still has the hunger for F1, despite turning 40. 

Hamilton is set for his first season with Ferrari having raced for Mercedes since 2013

Photo by: Pirelli

Secondly, that Hamilton is doing so because he believes that is the best option for him, having grown stale at Mercedes and, let’s be honest, underwhelmed by a succession of duds off the production line. 

In a recent interview with Autosport, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said the following: “He [Hamilton] has to make a choice: ‘Where do I have the biggest chance to win the championship in 2025, 2026, 2027?’ And he said ‘Ferrari’.” 

The implication here is that Hamilton is eyeing up a three-year project. The significance of this is that in 2026, F1 will undergo one of the biggest changes in its history, with new chassis and engine regulations. Hamilton is gambling as he did in 2012, only this time it’s on Ferrari’s Prancing Horse – but for 2026, not 2025. 

There is no doubt that Hamilton is motivated by moving to a new team, spurred on not only by the challenge of winning that title with Ferrari where Alonso and Vettel failed, but also by the satisfaction of proving people wrong

As the naysayers probably correctly point out, he has no experience with a Ferrari engine, having raced his whole F1 career with a Mercedes power unit. He may also struggle with the language and culture of working with a non-UK-based team. He may indeed not be as quick against a team-mate in the form of Charles Leclerc who, on his day, is the fastest man in the sport. But that’s the whole point of moving a year early, before the new regulations. 

Hamilton can iron out all the above points and put himself in the best position to win that elusive eighth world title, which would move him clear of the record he currently holds jointly with Michael Schumacher. 

Of course, there is no certainty that Ferrari will be able to deliver a car that is capable of offering Hamilton the chance to fight for a world title. Other F1 world champions Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel each arrived at Maranello fresh with the optimism that F1’s most illustrious team would provide them with a final world championship in a crowning moment to end their careers. Each left the team despondent and disappointed. 

There is no doubt that Hamilton is motivated by moving to a new team, spurred on not only by the challenge of winning that title with Ferrari where Alonso and Vettel failed, but also by the satisfaction of proving people wrong. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s words regarding a driver’s “shelf life” (interestingly, a quote he claims was taken out of context from a Mercedes-endorsed book) should be printed out and placed on Hamilton’s bedroom door for added incentive throughout his career at Maranello. 

Undoubtedly, the move is a gamble for Ferrari. But as we have seen before, the only foolish thing at this stage would be to write Hamilton off. 

This article is one of many in the new monthly issue of Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the February 2025 issue and subscribe today.

Will Hamilton make a second career gamble work and claim a record-breaking eighth F1 title during his forties at Ferrari?

Photo by: Ferrari