Lewis Hamilton will be counting down the days until he gets to make his debut in a Ferrari Formula 1 car.
Hamilton’s first Ferrari test could be delayed, but if it isn’t, it’s just over two weeks away at their private Fiorano circuit.
Ferrari fans have been starved of success since the 2008 season when Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa helped the team win the Constructors’ Championship.
Since then, they’ve witnessed a series of near misses, with Charles Leclerc the latest driver to finish runner-up in the driver’s standings in 2022.
The Monegasque driver missed out on finishing second to Max Verstappen last year after losing out in his battle with Lando Norris but will be much more confident about 2025 given how Ferrari finished last season.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur has promised that 99% of Ferrari’s car will be updated for next year.
Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc may be slightly concerned about how much the car may change, but if Ferrari nail their developments, then they should leapfrog McLaren by the time the season starts.
Hamilton has sent a message to Ferrari fans ahead of his debut that will only increase their excitement about the 2025 campaign.
F1 champion Damon Hill has reacted to Hamilton’s comments and now wonders whether this season will be the seven-time world champion’s year.
Damon Hill wonders if 2025 will be ‘GOAT’ Lewis Hamilton’s year
Taking to LinkedIn, Hamilton told his followers to ‘embrace the change’ that could come in 2025 after ending the most successful partnership in Formula 1 history.
Although the past three years haven’t provided Hamilton or Mercedes with the results that they desired, the 39-year-old decided to twist rather than stick for this year sent shockwaves down the paddock.
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Hill commented on Instagram that it could be the ‘year of the GOAT’ after reading Hamilton’s comments on LinkedIn about joining Ferrari.
In particular, he shared quotes from Hamilton where he said on LinkedIn: “I could not be more excited for the year ahead, moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on.”
Hamilton has already greeted Ferrari mechanics in Italian, knowing how important it is to integrate himself into his new surroundings.
How fast he adapts to life in Maranello could be the difference between becoming an eight-time world champion and watching on as his rivals right for the title this year.
Lewis Hamilton looking to break a 61-year record at Ferrari this season
The list of drivers who have raced for Ferrari throughout their time in Formula 1 is illustrious.
The likes of Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and Alberto Ascari have all won multiple championships for the Scuderia during their time in F1.
However, only one British driver has ever won a title while racing for Ferrari – John Surtees.
Surtees won his only title 61 years ago in 1964, defeating Graham Hill and Jim Clark, winning two out of the 10 Grand Prix on the calendar that year.
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The likes of Mike Hawthorn, Eddie Irvine and Nigel Mansell all narrowly missed out on matching Surtees’ achievement.
Arguably, Hamilton is in a better position than all of his predecessors to end that long wait for a British champion at Ferrari.
He appears to be incredibly motivated, but pre-season testing in Bahrain and the first race in Australia will give a much clearer indication of whether Hamilton is a championship contender.
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