Lewis Hamilton has now begun life as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver, and headed for LinkedIn to confirm it.
After contesting 24 grands prix as a Mercedes driver in F1 2024, knowing all the time that he was signed to Ferrari as of the following year, Hamilton’s move to the Scuderia is now official ahead of the F1 2025 campaign.
Lewis Hamilton adds Ferrari F1 driver occupation to LinkedIn
And Hamilton headed for popular networking site LinkedIn to reference his big Ferrari move.
Something which Hamilton also did upon his switch from McLaren to Meredes in 2013, a look at LinkedIn now sees Hamilton as an ‘F1 Driver – Ferrari’.
More on the blockbuster Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari deal
Hamilton’s pursuit of a record eighth World Championship rolls over into his Ferrari career, with the Scuderia hopeful of mounting a title push having narrowly missed out on the F1 2024 Constructors’ crown to McLaren. But, Hamilton will face stern intra-team competition from Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
And the eight-time grand prix winner with Ferrari is in a “win-win situation” as team-mate to Hamilton, according to former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley.
Put to him on the Formula For Success podcast that Leclerc will likely be faster than Hamilton, but Hamilton could pick up more wins across F1 2025, Smedley replied: “I would agree with that.
“I think there’s another point in that chronological trajectory as well – and please don’t hate me for saying it, because it’s just physiological – [and it’s] that Lewis starts to slow down a little bit.
“When that is, we don’t know. It’s definitely not in the next year or two, because if you look at how psychologically strong he is, how motivated he is, how physically fit the guy is – look how he takes care of himself – that’s not coming anytime soon.
“But isn’t this a win-win situation for Ferrari as well? They’ve got this seven-time World Champion coming in.
“He’s going to boost Charles, because Charles is in a situation where – I don’t want to call him the young apprentice – he’ll feel a very different dynamic and a very different relationship to what he felt with Carlos Sainz, for example, where they were two peers, both at very similar stages of their career and both needing to beat each other.
“Charles has got a bit of slack here: he’s up against a seven-time World Champion.
“It’s a completely different situation, but it’s like Felipe Massa in 2006 against Michael Schumacher.
“He was the apprentice and it was alright that he got beat by Michael. And then, by the end of the year, he was actually beating him on merit in qualifying. He did beat him in some races fortuitously.
“I think we’ve got a similar situation with Charles. And if Charles is not the one that gets away [by making too many mistakes and wasting his potential], then it’s just a win-win situation.
“You’ve got this seven-time World Champion, a guy who can learn off him, eventually become the real deal himself.
“By this point, Lewis is ready to retire and exit stage left and now you’ve got this fully formed World Champion who’s going to be a winning machine.”
Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari saw four-time grand prix winner Carlos Sainz depart for Williams having agreed a multi-year deal.
