One of the biggest changes coming into the 2025 season is 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. The 39-year-old had activated a release clause in his Mercedes contract last winter, allowing him to leave the Brackley-based team after 12 years.
Hamilton’s last run with Mercedes
The Briton’s last race with Mercedes ended on a high with an incredible P4 finish after starting P16 on the grid in Abu Dhabi. However, it’s been a season of highs and lows for Hamilton.
Hamilton had returned to the top step with a home victory at the Silverstone Circuit for the ninth time. Finally stepping at the top after 945 days, his last win prior was at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He also added another win to his tally after his teammate George Russell was disqualified at the Belgium Grand Prix.
However, one-lap performance was a concern for Hamilton. He had lost the qualifying head-to-head to Russell 5-19, a staggering statistic considering his 104 poles so far.
Qatar was probably the lowest point of Hamilton’s 2024 season. He had incurred two seperate penalties and suffered a puncture, all while battling the W15’s understeer.
At the end of the race, Hamilton claimed that he was “definitely not fast anymore”. This statement came after Russell’s pole and victory in the previous race in Las Vegas.
Verstappen’s point of view
Despite what the 7-time world champion might claim, his former rival Max Verstappen believes that motivation was the main issue, especially since Hamilton raced the 2024 season knowing it would be his last run with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari F1.
Verstappen spoke about this in his interview with PA News Agency
“It has been tough for him to get motivated fully this year [2024] because he knows he is leaving the team.
“I felt like as soon as he had that competitive car, and there was a chance of winning, you could see that he really stepped up. Then there were some races where the car was difficult and he was like: ‘Whatever.’”
New team, new me
After leaving Mercedes questioning his abilities, Hamilton joins the Scuderia with a mission to prove that he is still among the elite in the sport, although his legacy will already live in it forever.
Verstappen believes that we will never see a situation where Hamilton faces a true decline in his racecraft as he prepares to make his debut with Ferrari at the F1 Australian Grand Prix in March.
“I don’t think he will ever lose it,” said Verstappen. “He has achieved so much.”
“It is a new challenge for him next year [2025]. He will be very, very motivated to show he is a seven-time World Champion.”
Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive World Championship in Las Vegas after a season of battles with his title rival McLaren’s Lando Norris. McLaren themselves won their first Constructors’ title since 1998.
Ferrari’s 2025 line-up sees the 7-time world champion racing alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The monegasque driver who is extremely motivated to bring Ferrari back to its championship winning days.
Leclerc’s drive for his first championship and Hamilton’s chase for his record eighth championship means that Verstappen will have some serious competition in the 2025 season, along with the McLarens and potentially the Mercedes duo.
“But it will depend on the material he has got,” Verstappen concluded.
