Squad Numbers

Sporting immortality is extremely rare to come by, you have to achieve something so grand, that no-one can ever and will never challenge your legacy and status within your sport. Perhaps we should already recognise Lewis Hamilton as “immortal”, he has done it all, tied with Michael Schumacher with the most F1 World Championships on 7, most race wins, most pole positions. Yet it is true that the past three years have left their mark on Hamilton’s reputation, whilst he won the overall battle with young teammate George Russell over the course of their time as teammates, Hamilton has become inconsistent, more error prone and at times outshone by Russell. His class still remains, he has shown that in flashes, see his stunning win at Silverstone and comeback drive in Las Vegas, and it is those flashes which keep the hope alive for what he could achieve at Ferrari.

It is the ultimate goal of any F1 driver, bringing glory back to Maranello, many great champions have tried and failed to win a World Championship with Ferrari, some, like Sebastian Vettel, failed due to the immense pressure that comes with competing for Ferrari, crushed by the dream of bringing glory back to Maranello, whilst others, like Fernando Alonso, failed because Ferrari… Ferrari’d them. Yet the magic remains, even in the modern era the allure of the Red suit proves too strong for all that are exposed to it, and Hamilton is no different.

It will be tough for Hamilton at Ferrari not only due to the reasons mentioned previously, but because of the current situation at the team. His teammate, Charles Leclerc is the golden boy of Ferrari, with the team since 2019, Leclerc displaced Sebastian Vettel as team leader, and has developed into one of the fastest and most exciting drivers in F1. Yes, that excitement factor is because you still don’t quite know what you’ll get from Leclerc, he has the potential to throw his car into the barrier spectacularly at any point, but you know that he’s on the limit, and that he’s rapid, his race management has also improved in the past couple of years, as Ferrari sorted out their issues with tyre wear. Leclerc is a formidable opponent for Hamilton, who wont have the total backing of the team as he had in his dominant days at Mercedes.

This is the jeopardy that faces Hamilton at Ferrari, if his recent malaise continues, and he is soundly beaten by Leclerc, possibly as Leclerc comes close to the world title, as Ferrari are likely to be right at the sharp end in 2025, it will be a complete embarrassment, and the calls that Hamilton is “finished” and “washed up” will grow even larger than they already are, and will become more tangible.

However, if the Brit can rekindle the good old days, and get comfortable in this new, fresh environment, he could achieve something remarkable, World Championship number 8 awaits Hamilton, he has the chance to seize it, a chance he must take.