An optimistic Lewis Hamilton has been singing the praises of Ferrari in his first media appearances for his new team. His string of positive remarks will be music to the ears of Ferrari fans hoping they can return to former glories this year. Are Hamilton’s lofty ambitions for this season likely to be achievable though or will Ferrari once again fall short in the Constructors’ Championship?
What Has Hamilton Been Saying?
Although Hamilton could not provide too many details about his new car, he has given it a test drive. His initial impression of the vehicle was that it “Feels like a car I am getting on well with”. The Englishman has also been impressed with the culture at his new team saying:
The energy I am receiving from the team, there is magic here. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and grafting from absolutely everyone and everyone is putting that in already to achieve it… Everyone here dreams of winning with Ferrari, every single person in this team.
Speaking about Ferrari’s chance of success, the 40-year-old said “This team has absolutely every ingredient to win”. We will get the first insight into how accurate his prediction might be when he heads to Bahrain for the official pre-season test between 26 and 28 February. Hamilton did however admit that he is still adapting to his new car. “I am still acclimatising to the Ferrari car. It is a lot different to what I have lived with for the last few years in this generation of cars”. So, it may be that expectations should be a little tempered to begin with.
Ferrari’s Title Chances
Having finished just 14 points behind McLaren in last year’s Constructors’ Championship race, this is as close Ferrari have come to ending their long title drought. The last time Ferrari finished the season with the constructors’ crown was back in 2008, so it must feel like a distant memory for Ferrari fans (those old enough to remember!).
Having come so close last year, which is not usual for them, they will be desperate to seize the momentum and end to so many years of disappointment. What are the chances glory will return to Ferrari in 2025? Let us look at a few different viewpoints.
Bookies’ View
Looking at the odds, bookmakers are predicting another extremely close contest between McLaren and Ferrari. There is nothing at all to separate them at some bookmakers while others give McLaren a minor advantage pricing them at (1/1) with the Italians marginally behind at (11/10). Although the bookies do not have a crystal ball, it is still a positive sign for Ferrari to be trading at such short odds. Based on this, it would be a surprise if Ferrari were not in with a serious title challenge come the latter stages of the campaign.
As with last season, Ferrari are expected to perform well in the constructors’ standings through having two solid drivers, rather than a dominant championship winner. Leclerc is trading at around 9/2 to win the Drivers’ Championship (third favourite) while Hamilton is next in the pecking order at 6/1. If both can perform well, even if not as strongly as Lando Norris and/or Max Verstappen, Ferrari will be in with a genuine chance of success.
Ferrari’s View
Ferrari’s Team Principal Fred Vasseur spoke of his ambition of being champions in 2025 and said this is how they will judge if they’ve had a successful season or not. He is also very happy with having two high-pedigree drivers on board, even if this leads to a rivalry. He believes healthy competition is essential for a team like Ferrari and both drivers can push each other to be better and also help the team improve as a whole. Despite some sense of optimism coming into the season, Vasseur said it is “Very, very difficult to make a prediction on who will lead the pack this season and if someone will lead the pack”.
Hamilton’s new teammate, Leclerc has also been sending out a positive message ahead of the new season. The Monegasque driver stated “This year, our goal is clear: we want to win the Constructors’ World Championship, and my personal target is to win the Drivers’ Title.” While we won’t assess the chances of the latter happening here, it is interesting to note that Ferrari are united in their ambitious stance ahead of this campaign.
Drivers’ View
A few current and former F1 drivers have commented on Ferrari’s chances this year. Former Scuderia man, Carlos Sainz Jr, spoke positively about the future of his old team. “When I left Ferrari, I did feel the team and Charles were ready to fight for a world championship and with Lewis joining that chance is only going to increase”. It is humble of him to say this given that Hamilton is his direct replacement but it is understandable why he might think Ferrari will be better off with a seven-time world champion.
Other drivers to comment on the issue include the legendary Gerhard Berger who drove for the Italians for six years across two spells. The Austrian said “Lewis has something that could be really quite valuable for Ferrari. He is seven-times world champion. He will bring a lot of experience, a lot of momentum, and maybe some guys will come from other teams to work with him”. Berger also added that Hamilton’s presence will aid Leclerc “Lewis will be a motivator, it will be positive for Ferrari. Also, it’s great for Leclerc to have the chance to compete against a seven times champion.”
Our View
Ferrari have had a habit of messing up in recent years but they do genuinely seem to be heading in the right direction since Vasseur took charge. Ultimately, it will all boil down to the car but if they can get this right, which looks very possible, a Hamilton-Leclerc pairing could be very strong. Leclerc is arguably the fastest driver over one lap while Hamilton’s winning experience will be invaluable.
Hamilton is old for an F1 driver, aged 40, but he performed very similarly to his younger Mercedes teammate, George Russell, last season and wound up on the podium four times despite not having a particularly quick car. There is still a very capable driver there and we think his partnership with Leclerc will be enough to hand Ferrari a long-awaited constructors’ championship title.