Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his longly-anticipated debut for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
The seven-time champion announced his monumental move to Maranello in February last year and has had to wait almost a year to adorn the famous red colours. He will be desperate to make his stint at Ferrari a success after a disappointing end to his time at Mercedes.
The Brit registered the lowest finish of his career in 2024 with the Silver Arrows. While Hamilton did display some moments of quality with wins at Silverstone and Spa, he struggled with unpredictable machinery.
But Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari seems to be exactly what the Brit needs. The 40-year-old appears more motivated than ever going into an F1 season.
Martin Brundle has not seen Hamilton smile so much since joining Ferrari. He is reinvigorated ahead of a tense title battle between the top four teams in 2025.
Ferrari are gunning for the title after losing to McLaren by 14 points in the constructors’ championship. Hamilton will be searching for his record-eighth drivers’ title, but teammate Charles Leclerc will present a huge challenge.
Lewis Hamilton’s ‘strong’ long runs like Max Verstappen could worry Charles Leclerc
The Monagasque driver has been established at Ferrari since 2019. Leclerc scored more points than any driver in the second half of 2024 as he finished marginally behind Lando Norris in second.
Leclerc made a three-word prediction for 2025 that he would be world champion come the end of the year. This is arguably the 27-year-old’s best chance to win the title before the new technical regulations come into effect in 2026.
Hamilton will aim to give his teammate a tough battle with Ferrari set to give equal treatment to their drivers. But initially, Leclerc has the advantage.
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The Monegasque driver knows the team inside and out and is one of the strongest drivers over one lap. However, former F1 driver Christijan Albers says Hamilton is ‘strong’ in the long runs, like defending champion Max Verstappen.
This trait could spell trouble for Leclerc if he cannot take advantage of his pace in qualifying. Speaking with the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, Albers said: “If you look at performance, I think he’s going to have a very hard time with our qualifying beast Leclerc of course.
“But in terms of long runs, so to speak in the race, Lewis is always quite strong. And very, very consistent, just like Max Verstappen.”
Lewis Hamilton’s promise to Ferrari fans ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
Ferrari have been preparing their latest recruit extensively for the 2025 season. Hamilton is building a relationship with Riccardo Adami – his new race engineer – as he looks to get accustomed to the team’s way of operating.
The Brit has not shied away from wanting to embrace the culture at the Maranello outfit. Hamilton has promised Ferrari fans he will learn Italian during the season – something that Michael Schumacher was never liked for trying to avoid.
The Australian Grand Prix will mark a historical occasion as Hamilton finally takes to the track in red.
McLaren are the clear favourites after pre-season testing in Bahrain. But Ferrari and Hamilton will look to cause a stir in what is historically a highly chaotic race.
