Lewis Hamilton is likely to face more scrutiny than any other driver on the Formula 1 grid in 2025.
The Australian Grand Prix is one of 24 races on the calendar this year, and yet it feels like the tone of how Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari will be set by his result in Melbourne.
Hamilton’s debut and first podium came in Australia back in 2007, when his replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli was just a few months old.
The 40-year-old is now preparing for his third F1 debut with Ferrari after his successful spells with McLaren and Mercedes, but the feeling around this move will be very different to when he joined the Silver Arrows.
After three seasons in the paddock, Mercedes weren’t expected to be challenging for race wins in 2013 but Hamilton’s decision to leave McLaren was quickly justified.
However, Ferrari could conceivably have a championship-winning car in 2025 and that means Hamilton can’t afford to start slowly this year.
Hamilton’s crash in pre-season testing was a small setback but arguably impacted new teammate Charles Leclerc even more given he missed out on more running that day.
That won’t be seen as a big deal by Ferrari, but former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde believes there are much bigger challenges ahead for the seven-time world champion.
Lewis Hamilton told why racing for Ferrari will be ‘very different’ to Mercedes
Speaking to RacingNews365, Van der Garde was asked about Hamilton’s move and said: “I think it’s very bold. I really like that he was able to make that step.
“He was obviously totally comfortable at Mercedes. He was number one there, despite maybe having a bit of a tough time with his teammate and the rest of the team last year.
“But I think he is very motivated to start a new season, especially with the new people.
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“It’s obviously very different working with an English team than an Italian team because there’s a lot of temperament involved.
“But that team is upcoming if you see what they have gone through in the last few years and the steps they have made.
“Fred Vasseur obviously loves him and they have worked together before, so I definitely expect him to compete for the title and to be there.”
Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari outings show what he’s got to deal with this season
If Hamilton wasn’t sure just how much fanfare there would be around his move to Ferrari, he quickly learned when he arrived at Maranello and Fiorano for the first time.
Thousands watched on as Hamilton drove a Ferrari F1 car for the first time and many waited for hours to get a glimpse of him for the first time at the team’s factory in the days leading up to his debut.
That level of excitement will increase once he begins pre-season testing in Bahrain and even Ferrari’s livery launch at the F1 75 event in London is likely to be headlined by the 40-year-old even though Max Verstappen will arrive as the reigning champion.
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Hamilton’s influence and popularity are unmatched in Formula 1 and the past few years have shown that even when he’s not winning championships, he’s at the forefront of people’s thinking.
Van der Garde is right to say that racing for Ferrari will be very different than Mercedes for Hamilton, particularly due to the media scrutiny in Italy.
Given Hamilton has been the face of F1 since his debut in 2007, the many ups and downs he’s faced throughout his career will provide the best preparation possible for when he’s on the front page of every Italian sports publication.
