Lewis Hamilton will be making one of the most iconic driver moves in F1 history with his switch to Ferrari in 2025. However, just because the most successful driver is set to unite with the most successful team in history doesn’t guarantee that the move will work out smoothly. The Italian team has brought in World Champions previously, but they failed to bring glory back to Maranello. 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, now, reveals what Hamilton has to do differently at Ferrari.
As reported by Silverarrows.net, the Canadian driver emphasizes that Hamilton is joining the biggest team of all time. Ferrari last won a Championship in 2008 and since then, despite signing World Champion drivers like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, success has eluded them.
Both Vettel and Alonso won several races and came close to winning the Championship for the Italian outfit. However, they faltered each time, leaving the team desperate and extending their drought for glory. Owing to this, the Maranello-based team often saw changes in the structure with team bosses leaving every few years. Villeneuve thinks,
“If you get Lewis in there and all this mega-complex situation, this could be the thing that settles everything down for a bit, giving Ferrari what they’ve been missing as a base so they can actually move forward.”
Ferrari’s last Drivers’ World Champion was Kimi Raikkonen who won in 2007. Following that, during attempts made by Alonso and Vettel, the team made crucial strategic and developmental mistakes that derailed their charge for the Title.
Today, Ferrari appears to be in a much better position. This is something Hamilton took into account before deciding to switch from Mercedes.
Has Ferrari improved enough for Lewis Hamilton to fulfill his dream?
Ever since Frederic Vasseur became Team Principal of Ferrari in 2023, the Italian stable has steadily improved in multiple facets. Issues that plagued their previous campaigns (pit-stops, strategies, and development) became scarce, and they stopped fumbling when presented with an opportunity to succeed.
Now, with Lewis Hamilton joining the team in 2025, these improvements further strengthen the 39-year-old’s hopes of winning his eighth Championship.
Over the last three seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton has endured a tough time, last winning a race at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Since then, Hamilton has not been at the sharp end of the grid to fight for wins, let alone the World Title. The under-par performance of the Mercedes cars has frustrated him which stimulated him to jump ship to Maranello.
Hamilton’s arrival will benefit Ferrari massively, as Villeneuve said. Despite champions like Vettel, Alonso, and Alain Prost failing to win championships in the Red cars, the Stevenage-born driver will fancy his chances in an improved setup at the Italian team under Vasseur.
