Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of making his race debut with one of the most famous teams in Formula 1 history when he takes to the grid in the season opener at Melbourne.
There is a lot of anticipation for how Hamilton will fare at Ferrari, given that he is trying to do something that has not been done in over 50 years at the team.
Having recently turned 40 years old, if he takes an eighth title he will not only overtake Michael Schumacher but Hamilton will also be the first driver since Jack Brabham in 1966 to win a title at that age.
Given Ferrari’s competitiveness at the end of last season, David Croft thinks 2025 might be the best opportunity for Hamilton to win as the new ruleset in 2026 could shakeup the form book.
Discussing whether there is any added pressure on Hamilton to deliver when speaking with RacingNews365.nl, former Dutch racing driver Jereme Bleekemolen has explained why it is different to Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton pressure not the same as Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso
Hamilton will be desperate to ensure that his tenure at Ferrari does not end the same way as Vettel or Alonso, both of whom failed to win a title with the team despite coming close.
Bleekemolen believes the pressure will be different for Hamilton, given that he no longer has anything to prove in F1 now that he has achieved most of the records available.
“Ferrari the pressure is always high, we know that if they build a bad car they are completely burned down. Even with Alonso and Vettel they didn’t win, Alonso could have become world champion at Ferrari because it was close twice but then it is seen as a complete failure,” said Bleekemolen.
“Hamilton doesn’t have to prove anything anymore, because he is the greatest at the moment. The only one that can catch up to him is Verstappen. If he has a bad year and leaves F1, he’s still the GOAT. I think he shouldn’t put too much pressure on himself, but on the other hand if the motivation is there then Hamilton will be tormented by second place and won’t accept it.”
The important stat that would confirm Lewis Hamilton among F1’s all-time greats
Ferrari will mark the first time that Hamilton has raced with a team that isn’t powered by Mercedes in his F1 career, having made his debut with McLaren in 2007 when they used their V8 engines.
It is always said that the true mark of a great driver in F1 is their versatility and ability to win multiple titles with different teams, which is what Juan Manuel Fangio achieved with his five titles.
| RANK | DRIVER | WINS |
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | 72 |
| 2 | Niki Lauda | 15 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | 14 |
| 4 | Alberto Ascari | 13 |
| =5 | Felipe Massa | 11 |
| =5 | Fernando Alonso | 11 |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | 10 |
| 8 | Rubens Barrichello | 9 |
| 9 | Charles Leclerc | 8 |
| =10 | Jacky Ickx | 6 |
| =10 | Gilles Villeneuve | 6 |
Hamilton has won with two different teams, but to win with another engine manufacturer and one as illustrious as Ferrari would certainly confirm him as one of the greatest of all time.
There is one scenario that could see Hamilton retire early, which is if Ferrari are uncompetitive throughout the season. But it appears as though they might put him in with a chance of taking his first title since the 2021 season.
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