Will Ferrari buy into Lewis Hamilton’s progressive agenda?

Ever since he began dominating Formula 1 at Mercedes, Hamilton’s image has been about more than just the racing. What started with some positive vibes over team radio has grown into a series of initiatives designed to boost diversity in the sport.

The decorated Brit has even set up his own project — Mission44 — with this goal in mind.

Over the years, the Silver Arrows have been more than happy to support Hamilton’s efforts in this area. But there were suggestions in the TIME story that Ferrari may not be quite as willing.

While Hamilton committed to “keep trying to elevate people” in his new role, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said that his priority “is not [to be] politically correct,” but to win races.

“I’m keen to go in the direction of diversity and so on,” he added. “We are doing our best effort. We are trying to push in this direction, but I want to build up the best team.”

With Vasseur having already claimed that his team is going for both titles this year, he’s clearly got his eyes on the prize. Surely, the Tifosi are on his side. After all, Ferrari hasn’t won the drivers’ title since 2007. But their comments do suggest a difference in opinion between team and driver — possibly the first since Hamilton’s move materialized.

Arguably, Hamilton’s career has been a hugely inspiring one. Becoming an F1 driver has always been dependent on having the right contacts and a serious amount of cash. Growing up, his family didn’t have the latter. However, as a youngster, he was fortunate enough to meet McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who financed his career through the junior categories.

Of course, the seven-time world champion has gone on to enjoy huge success and, using his influence in the sport, sought to raise issues like climate change, racism, and other inequalities.

Following the death of George Floyd in the US, Hamilton later became a lot more vocal, lending his support to the Black Lives Matter campaign. Not only did he add the ‘BLM’ logo to his helmet, Mercedes also backed him by changing the color of the team’s entire color scheme to black.

In his TIME interview, Hamilton made it clear that he’d continue to pursue change in all the same areas and fight his corner on inequality. Describing himself as “the first and only black driver that has ever been in the sport,” the Brit added that he wouldn’t stoop to the level of the “older, ultimately, white men” who criticize his career choices.

Presented with the arguments of former drivers like Jacky Ickx that Hamilton’s signing is nothing more than a marketing exercise, Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said, “Lewis doesn’t need that, Ferrari doesn’t need that. What we need to do is win championships.”

Diversity drive aside, Hamilton’s Ferrari journey has so far proven a pretty smooth one. Yes, he crashed during testing, which was less than ideal. But he has already fitted in at Fiorano and whipped up a media frenzy, with most fans itching to see how he’ll perform in red.

Hamilton’s supporters will have been relieved to read that he too is on point. In the TIME interview, he said that he’s still “focused on one thing, and that’s winning.” He added that he’s “hungry, driven, and doesn't have a wife and kids” — in what could be seen as a nod to Fernando Alonso, who said something similar about his lack of fear when overtaking Michael Schumacher in Suzuka all those years ago.

This laser-like focus on success is shared by Vasseur. The Frenchman, who managed Hamilton at ART in the GP2 series, is well-qualified to assess where Hamilton’s head is at. Instead, he refused to elaborate on this, reiterating that only his pace in Australia matters.

Vasseur said: “I could reply like a book and give you something that you want to write. But at the end of the day, at this part of the season, the feeling, the first time, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, will be nothing compared to race one in Australia. You will forget about everything that happened before. It’s all about pure performance.”

It appears that Ferrari are hell-bent on winning both titles and Vasseur is determined to let his drivers do the talking on-track. Hamilton debuts for the Scuderia at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, 2025.