Italian job: can Hamilton make history at Ferrari?

Speaking to former Scuderia drivers ahead of the Brit's debut in Australia this weekend, Kieran Jackson takes a deep dive into F1's biggest-ever transfer and finds a sportsman 'reborn'

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Nothing has ever motivated Lewis Hamilton more than the naysayers of this world. Where the sceptics see adversity, Hamilton sees opportunity. And last month, the seven-time world champion had a message for the doubters ahead of the most anticipated phase of his glittering Formula One career.

“Don’t ever compare me to anyone else,” he told Time. “I’m the first and only Black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different… I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife or kids. I’m focused on one thing and that’s winning.”

Has the Hamilton-Ferrari hype train caught you yet? If so, what drew you in? Was it the joyous scenes of week one, appearing in a black suit and Ferrari race gear in Maranello for the first time? Was it London’s F1 75 Live and its adoring British crowd? Or was it Bahrain, Milan, and now Melbourne, as the sight of F1’s joint most successful driver in peerless scarlet red becomes the new reality?

Regardless, some 13 months on from the most startling and sparkling F1 transfer of all time, the talking stops this weekend with Hamilton’s debut in the iconic colours of the prancing horse in Australia. It marks the start of a 24-race journey in 2025, which, no matter the result, will enthral F1’s fanatical fanbase and, by extension, the sporting world.

Can he win a record-breaking eighth world championship, taking him ahead of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher? It’s a far-fetched possibility. The bookies will tell you he is fourthfavourite – and perhaps even that is a tad generous. Hamilton is coming into this 2025 season off the back of his worst year in F1 and a torrid qualifying record, following three years of frustration in a capricious breed of Mercedes car.