What is the real reason Ferrari signed Sir Lewis Hamilton?

Just over a year later and with Hamilton firmly into his red Ferrari overalls, the anticipation ahead of his full race debut is palpable. With the opening weekend of the 2025 season right on our doorstep, predictions and theories will be proved correct or quashed when Hamilton shows his true pace in the Ferrari in Melbourne this weekend.

The seven-time world champion is going for a record-breaking eighth world title, which would take him into the outright lead ahead of Michael Schumacher who the Briton is currently tied with. While Hamilton’s extra-curricular activities have propelled him to a higher global status, his ability on the track is all Ferrari are interested in and the main reason he was poached from Mercedes.

The former McLaren and Mercedes driver never hid the fact it was a childhood dream to drive for Ferrari. And at the age of 40, Hamilton will fulfil that dream. But can Ferrari give him the machinery to compete for and break that world championship record?

Pre-season testing is never a 100% measure of a car’s true performance and judging by Ferrari’s efforts, they will hope that saying rings true. It was far from catastrophic of course, but F1 experts did not have Ferrari at the front of the paddock. However, that can also be said of nine other teams on the grid this season, with McLaren seemingly ahead of the rest in what is expected to be one of the closest battles in recent history.

Last season was certainly an exciting one, with seven different drivers winning multiple races each. Ferrari will be encouraged by the wins picked up by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr. during the 2024 campaign, but F1 news and race winner predictions sites are forecasting a shuffle in the pack with Lando Norris currently the favourite to win his maiden world championship.

But with very little to separate the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc from Hamilton’s former employers, Mercedes, and Red Bull, the fine margins in qualifying and race day could get even finer.

While Hamilton’s rivals will keep him on his toes, the Briton also faces a stiff challenge from his teammate, Leclerc. The Monegasque driver is looking to land his first world championship and will not be fazed by the arrival of Hamilton.

Leclerc has earned the reputation of being a sensational qualifier on the Saturday, an issue Hamilton struggled with in 2024, albeit in an ailing Mercedes. If Leclerc can hook it up on race day too, Ferrari and Fred Vasseur might be left with a tough decision to make.

With arguably the most talented driver line up on the grid, alongside Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren, the first few races could give F1 fans an indication of who Ferrari will back when the key decisions have to be made.

Ferrari have already thrown their confidence behind the Briton by signing Hamilton to such a lucrative contract at his age, with the ultimate aim of claiming their first constructors championship since 2008. In a sport that is all about winning, the signing of the seven-time world champion was meant as a statement of intent.

After a promising 2024 season, despite falling just short in the constructors battle, Ferrari mean business this season and if Hamilton can secure his eighth title, he will not only go down in the F1 record books as the greatest, but also in folklore in Maranello.