Lewis Hamilton’s arrival has been the most anticipated storyline surrounding Ferrari heading into the 2025 season. The Italian team knows the hype is massive and has strategically capitalized on it commercially. That’s why they unveiled his first moments in Ferrari overalls and cars with careful planning.
Hamilton first tested a Ferrari car last month in Fiorano before taking part in a full-fledged test in Barcelona. Now, the Scuderia has launched merchandise dedicated to the seven-time champion — a cherry-colored cap by Puma priced at $60.
Understandably, fans swooped in, eager to get their hands on the cap — marking the beginning of something unprecedented.
Within 48 hours of its pre-order release, the cap sold out. That speaks volumes about the craze for Hamilton as a Ferrari driver. While the Briton has experienced immense fandom at McLaren and Mercedes, this feels entirely different.
It was evident when Hamilton first arrived in Maranello a couple of weeks ago. The reception from the Tifosi was insane, surpassing the fan attendance seen during the arrivals of Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel.
Over 1,000 fans camped near the Fiorano circuit to witness Hamilton’s maiden run in a Ferrari, driving the team’s 2023 model, the SF-23.
Since then, his first pictures in a Ferrari race suit and snapshots from his exhibition run at Fiorano have gone viral in the F1 community. As for the caps, featuring Hamilton’s racing number 44, they will start shipping on February 13.
cap 44 sold out ? yall are so ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TUOhELNkpS
— sim (@sim3744) February 6, 2025
Ferrari has also launched a polo t-shirt for $145, recently worn by Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in promotional photos. The team shared these pictures on social media for fans to see.
However, this is just a glimpse of the diverse merchandise Ferrari plans to introduce in 2025, with two fashion-loving drivers in its ranks.
Ferrari is going to maximize their brand value by leveraging Hamilton
It is a no-brainer to go all out on merchandise and brand collaborations with a champion driver like Hamilton on board. The 40-year-old’s arrival at Ferrari has also seen an increase in the Italian brand’s valuation while sponsors have lined up to have a placement on the Scuderia’s car, which will followed by a larger set of fans in 2025.
Ferrari’s CEO Benedetto Vigna understands this shift and said, “His arrival is certainly a good thing for the brand. In any case, he will be a great pairing with (Charles) Leclerc”. Vigna feels that the move to poach the seven-time world champion has already paid off massively on the commercial side.
It boosted Ferrari’s market cap by around $10 billion this time last year when the Scuderia officially announced Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes for 2025 and beyond.
Regardless, Ferrari knows that on-track success will be crucial for the seven-time world champion’s move to be deemed as successful. As things stand, the 2025 car is capable of making Hamilton world champion once again, which will only push the commercial benefits that Ferrari will gain from this massive partnership.
