All on Red: Lewis Hamilton's move to Scuderia Ferrari

Credit to Wikimedia Comms: Lewis Hamilton Japanese Grand Prix 2018

Rolling into 2024, this year is destined to produce a wild silly season for Formula 1, with around 75% of the drivers being out of contract at the end of 2024, but few drivers have been locked in for the medium to long term and weren’t expected to move. Contracts can still be broken through escape clauses but none were expected to be activated amongst these long term drivers. Especially in Formula 1, it is a huge risk to jump ship into the unknown and outside of your comfort zone, especially when performance is not always guaranteed despite the team's status in the sport. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and George Russell are all playing it very safe but one domino needed to fall and the one which did has shocked the world. Not only for what lies ahead of them but also for what they are leaving behind. Lewis Hamilton, after 11 years at the all conquering Mercedes, will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. 

We haven’t had a real showstopper in terms of driver transfers in Formula 1 for a long time now and funnily enough the last big one in recent memory was also with Lewis Hamilton when he moved over to Mercedes Benz in 2013 from McLaren. But despite being 11 years ago, it almost feels like history has repeated itself again here with where Lewis is mentally and the situation his team is in. Granted he is in a slightly different position now compared to his past self. Seven world championships with over 100 race wins and pole positions and arguably the greatest driver in the sports history. After his recent slump you could easily say it’s time for Lewis to move on into retirement but his winning mentality is still fresh on his mind. He hasn’t won a race since Saudi Arabia over 2 years and that was a torturous year for what happened to Hamilton in that season's finale. To see the face of the sport change hands to Verstappen and to not compete in an act of redemption has now made Lewis hungrier than ever for success. And his move to Ferrari indicates serious intent for where he believes he will become victorious again.

Mercedes has been Hamilton’s team for his entire career and will be seen as one of the most historical and successful partnerships across all of sport. Now he was part of the Mercedes Benz team for 11 years in his F1 career but the German outfit has been alongside him since the beginning. McLaren used Mercedes Benz power units during Lewis’s early years which took him to his first F1 world championship and during his junior career with Manor Motorsport, he also had Mercedes financial backing so actually they have been by his side for well over 20 years. They formed an incredibly strong partnership and both took each other to the top of the motorsport world. His arrival in 2013 saw him establish himself immediately as the team leader and trounced Nico Rosberg and Valterri Bottas almost as an act of authority during his tenure. Yes, George Russell beat Hamilton in 2022 but Hamilton came back swinging in 2023 and comprehensively beat Russell so his status has remained completely intact. Not once was Hamilton playing second fiddle, with the only exception being in 2016, and he was always the guiding light for Mercedes in driving and development of the car. Along with this, he created a great bond with his boss Toto Wolff and forged a friendship both within and went beyond the world of F1, with Toto standing by his side in moments of criticism and even racial discrimination. It was a recipe for one of the greatest success stories in F1 history. 

So why leave your all conquering squad now at the peak of their powers? The problem is that was the past Mercedes and where they are now is vastly different with these new regulations. Two years since the introduction of ground effect style aero has seen Mercedes on the backfoot of the lead pack. They aren’t horribly uncompetitive and deep in the midfield but the trouble is they’ve slipped well behind Red Bull and to an extent Ferrari. Their power unit has dipped in performance behind Red Bull and Ferrari but the real challenge has been with the aerodynamics and chassis. Merc went into 2022 with a radical no sidepod approach to the ground effect formula but consequently created huge bouncing effects known as porpoising. It therefore created inconsistent downforce levels which contributed to unnatural and unpredictable handling characteristics which Hamilton struggled to adapt to. Now all teams went for different approaches to their side pods but also suffered porpoising effects yet they all managed to solve this through alterations of their concepts. Some followed the yardstick that was Red Bull and Ferrari at the time but Mercedes were seemingly adamant their concept was not cause for a loss in performance and persisted with their struggles to try and unlock its full potential. This philosophy continued midway into 2023 where nothing was gained and time was only lost in the development race and thus the concept was changed. Mercedes are currently using the Red Bull concept which has been an improvement over the no side pod design but by utilising this form of side pod, they are now arguably nearly 2 years behind the grid in the aero department and are seemingly waiting for the 2026 engine regulations to turn the tide back into their favour. It doesn’t help that the budget cap has restricted one of their greatest strengths by having financial backing from Mercedes Benz and Daimler.

The trouble with this whole period though was how Mercedes seemingly couldn’t swallow their pride and accept that they may have failed as a team for the first time in their years of car development. They were the pack leaders since 2014 and never faltered in any area of car design. But more than this, it was Mercedes constantly failing to deliver their promises and always falling short of expectations. From the perspective of Hamilton, the need to change their aero formula was critical for progression back up the grid but Mercedes' wanting to persist with their own concept hurt relations between Hamilton and the team from the perspective of development. You could arguably compare it to back when Red Bull were behind Mercedes during the start of the hybrid era but the difference there was the Red Bull engine was woefully unreliable from customer Renault but Red Bull’s own chassis and aero was still the best on the grid. Mercedes have nothing to blame other than themselves which they seem unwilling to do, but Hamilton is actively encouraging them to see their flaws and learn from them. It is a team that Hamilton has known for a long time and knows the heights they can reach but how long could he keep their trust for in this new era? Can they recover from this drought? Has their time been and gone? Does Hamilton want their relationship to continually sour? It is an identical position that Lewis found himself back in 2012 where McLaren was also a team beginning to fall from grace and the same questions asked then are now returning again. Loyalty is one thing but you need to be brutal in Formula 1 to remain ahead of the pack. We are on the cusp of new engine regulations set to come into force in 2026 and now more than ever, drivers need to see the landscape as a whole to determine who will emerge at the front of the pack. But in Lewis’ case, he is leaving home for new pastures in Scuderia Ferrari. 

Ferrari? Why Ferrari? It seems puzzling for Hamilton to choose the Italian outfit especially given their track record in recent years. For the longest time, Ferrari were the pinnacle in F1 but have steadily fallen off the pace. For 2017-2019 Ferrari were the closest anyone came to toppling Mercedes, before the Red Bull dominance returned in 2021, but then they had a steep decline in 2020 with a woeful car. Since then, the team has gone through a myriad of internal changes with management, team principals and drivers which have seen marked improvements. But certain elements are still under severe criticism, with strategy, reliability and pit stops being prime examples on the list. Not only this but as of recent times especially during 2018/2019 it wasn’t without controversy, with the engine illegality of 2019 still fresh on viewers minds. It isn’t an easy team to acclimate and prosper at. You have to face so many hurdles if you aren’t prepared to face the pressures both on and off track. Many drivers have tried and failed at Ferrari and are also some of the most well known drivers in the sport. Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso and Sebastien Vettel were all winners but could never convert it to a world title. Even their current leading star in Charles Leclerc is struggling to become the dominant force the paddock is making him out to be. The whole weight of a country is on your back and the pressure to become victorious is overwhelming. Ferrari expects the best of the best and one fault can change the tides in the drivers favour. Hamilton is walking into the fire and needs to be at his best. 

So why move out of your comfort zone to the most coveted and pressurised seat in Formula 1. The fact is, in these current set of regulations, Ferrari are the one team that have serious potential to beat Red Bull. No matter the crashes, the strategy blunders or the tensions with team management, they are easily second quickest and their ceiling for potential is much higher than Mercedes. They got the regulations right in 2022 and were early on identical to performance with Red Bull. They were the only team to win a race other than Red Bull in 2023. When their car and team is operating at the highest level, they are tough opponents to beat. But then there are still the crashes, the strategy blunders and the tensions with team management that get in the way of their success. To bring on Hamilton indicates serious intent that they are self aware in needing to change the team culture and form Hamilton's, his willingness to commit to change is one of his key attributes. He knows the ability and power that he possesses to make change and wants to utilise it for another challenge. He did it with Mercedes before and wants to do it again. He could have chosen any other team to bring to the top but he chose Ferrari; the dinosaurs of the sport desperately trying to rediscover glory. But no matter how much criticism you can throw at Ferrari, the love for the team is everlasting throughout the world. Ferrari is Formula 1. They are the oldest and most successful team in the sport. They host some of the greatest minds and engineers in Grand Prix racing and chase nothing less than first place. They have been chasing the title for far too long now and need that extra push to regain their status in Formula 1. Seeing a Ferrari anywhere other than the front is completely unnatural and Hamilton knows this. He wants to build up Ferrari to a title force again because he loves the team, even when being a part of a rival manufacturer. The most successful driver joining the most successful team in Formula 1 sounds so exciting.

But it isn’t all uncharted waters. The presence of Fred Vasseur is also huge as he was the one who pushed Hamilton through the junior ranks and gave him his success to be in Formula 1. He was the previous team boss and founder of ART Grand Prix, the dominant junior outfit in GP2, and still running today in Formula 2 and Formula 3, that powered so many junior drivers towards and F1 race seat. Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, Stoffel Vandoorne, they were all ART GP champions and because of this found their way into Formula 1. Vasseur is also looking to take Ferrari back to the top and the chance for Hamilton to work again with Vasseur is also too good of an opportunity to miss. They have both kept a good relationship with each other since their dominant title run in 2006 and there is no doubt that having a close link with your team principal is huge in settling into a new environment by having that familiarity. There is a real opportunity for history to be made here for Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur in their quest for a title in Formula 1 together. Hamilton to win his eight, Vasseur to win his first, Ferrari their first title since 2007, it really is limitless the opportunities that could arise from this partnership. 

But then that’s what all drivers entering Ferrari want to do. They want to be the change. They want to be the new Schumacher but always fail to do so. Alonso came so close in 2012 but failed to regain form after his championship miss. Vettel was the closest to Mercedes anyone had been but the latter half of 2018 destroyed his confidence and fell apart 2019 onwards. Charles Leclerc is a great driver. His current stint with Ferrari has produced some amazing drives and moments for the Scuderia. But realistically, he still needs more fine tuning to become world beating. The potential is there to best Verstappen but that potential now needs to be realised. But as great as these drivers are, no matter how their careers were at Ferrari, Ferrari needs something truly special to turn the tides and that is what Hamilton is. They both want each other, they both believe in each other and they are both incredibly hungry for that elusive title. It could be a fairy-tale for the history books or a story consigned to the back pages. But either way for Hamilton, the gamble is huge. This will be his final stop in his career and is determined to sign off from Formula 1 in style and success. His speed and mentality has never diminished his whole time in F1 but he is going to need to go the extra step to chase eternal glory as the most successful driver title-wise. This will be the ultimate test of his career. 

Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lewis_Hamilton_-_Suzuka_2018_FP2_%2845565557652%29.jpg