Lewis Hamilton now ‘expected’ to do one thing Michael Schumacher never did at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton knows comparisons to Michael Schumacher are inevitable when he joins Ferrari in 2025. They are, after all, the two most successful drivers in F1 history.

Hamilton has joined the Scuderia because he believes they will give him the best chance of winning an unprecedented eighth world championship. He’s trying to break the tie with Schumacher before he retires.

The 39-year-old has already overtaken the German for race wins (now 105 vs 91) and pole positions (104 vs 68). But many will only view him as the undisputed greatest of all time if he secures another title.

Schumacher won five of his seven crowns at Ferrari, but joined at a different stage of his career. When he arrived in 1996, he was 27 years old.

Frederic Vasseur has given Hamilton a two-year contract, and then both parties have the option for a third season if they’re satisfied. But it’s likely that will be the only deal he signs during his time at Maranello.

That gives him a relatively narrow window in which to achieve his ultimate goal. But Ferrari were close to winning the constructors’ this year and Hamilton is clearly confident they’ll nail the upcoming 2026 regulation changes.

Lewis Hamilton plans to move to Italy before he joins Ferrari

Reports in the autumn claimed Hamilton would live in Enzo Ferrari’s house near the Fiorano test track. Schumacher was the last driver to enjoy this privilege.

It’s more likely that Hamilton will use Enzo Ferrari’s home as a base when he’s on-site at Maranello. But he’s still planning to move to Italy.

According to BBC Sport, he’s ‘expected’ to acquire a property in Italy ‘as part of his switch to Ferrari’. This will ‘likely’ be in Milan, which is around 120 miles away from the team’s HQ.

Like many F1 drivers, Hamilton currently lives in Monaco. It’s unclear whether he intends to sell that residence.

He knows that his teammate Charles Leclerc is already deeply embedded within the team. Leclerc made his Ferrari debut in 2019 but has been part of their academy since 2016.

Where Michael Schumacher lived when he was racing for Ferrari

Like Schumacher, Hamilton has started learning Italian already. It will help him communicate with his mechanics, but also form a symbolic bond with the Tifosi.

Naomi Schiff says Leclerc could make Hamilton ‘paranoid’ by speaking Italian in team meetings. The 27-year-old is already fluent.

Schumacher lived in Vufflens-le-Chateau, a municipality near the Swiss city of Geneva, during his time at Ferrari. His two children were born in the late 1990s, which may have influenced his decision to stay put.