When Lewis Hamilton’s mum, Carmen, was snapped at the side of Ferrari’s Fiorano test track excitedly filming her seven-time world champion son as he met the ‘Tifosi’ for the first time, it was a clear sign that a special new chapter in the history of F1 is being written.
The mums of 40-year-old F1 drivers who have won 105 GPs and scored 4,813.5 points don’t do things like that. They’ve seen it all before, right? Wrong. The Briton’s move to Scuderia Ferrari is a phase in his career that the Hamilton family want to remember in years to come.
F1’s popularity has reached stratospheric levels in the last few years, mainly thanks to the success of the Netflix Drive to Survive series. Intriguing plot lines, adrenaline-fuelled outbursts, and the appeal of the different characters on the grid have all helped to secure a fresh new following for F1.
The ‘Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari’ plot could be the most intriguing to date. After all, the most successful driver of the modern era has teamed up with the most iconic team in the history of the sport. If Drive to Survive was fictional, it’s the kind of plot screenwriters would have cooked up after downing a few bottles of Chianti. But it’s not fiction. It’s here – and it’s fantastic news for F1.
With Max Verstappen cantering to his fourth successive world title in 2024, despite the best efforts of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, F1 remains largely predictable. It needs a shake-up. That’s something Liberty Media will be hoping Lewis Hamilton can provide.
When a driver of his calibre emerges from his first Ferrari SF-23 test at Fiorano and says: “When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face”, you know something remarkable is happening.
When that same driver adds: “It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car. It was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again”, you know this is the re-energised version of Lewis Hamilton that the sport wants – and needs – after a troubled final season at Mercedes.
Whether Ferrari can give its new driver a car that’s capable of winning races and championships, remains to be seen. But if it can, nobody should bet against Lewis still having the essential tools in his ageing locker to win even more races and challenge the likes of Verstappen and Norris.
From a commercial standpoint, the next chapter in Lewis Hamilton’s career is hugely important for F1. If all the stars align and he follows in the footsteps of Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees as Brits that won the F1 crown with Ferrari – rather than Nigel Mansell and Eddie Irvine who both failed – 2025 could be a history-making season.
More importantly, it has the potential to be one that the Netflix generation will lap up, adding even more zeros to F1’s global follower base. That will inevitably push the value and reach of the sport for teams and commercial partners to even greater heights.
Photo credits @ScuderiaFerrari