Does Lewis Hamilton have what it takes to be a success at 40 years old in modern F1?
The current generation of young talent in F1 is some of the best in its 75-year history, so can Lewis Hamilton bring success back to Ferrari? His recent days at the Maranello squad suggests so.
When Lewis Hamilton takes to the grid at Albert Park in his Ferrari, he will embark on a journey that hasn't been achieved since Jack Brabham in 1966; he will try to become an F1 World Champion at 40 years old.
All around the world, you see sporting success for athletes seemingly past what people would deem the 'prime' age for success. And yet, they keep defying the odds.
A recent example is 38-year-old Gael Monfils, who became the oldest man to win a tour-level title since 1977 when he won one of the opening ATP Tour rounds in Aukland to kickstart the tennis season.
Hamilton hasn't lost any of his speed at his age, or the 'eye of the tiger' that Mika Haikkinen once claimed was why he stopped, but there is a lot more grandiose to what he is trying to achieve.
Ferrari hasn't won a title since its success in the Constructors' Championship in 2008, with the Briton having denied them of the double when he overtook Timo Glock at the final corner of Interlagos. Felipe Massa was world champion for 30 seconds before it was taken away from him when Hamilton crossed the line in fifth.
Hamilton has reunited with his old junior Formula boss Frederic Vasseur and assembled a crack team of engineers that helped him succeed at Mercedes, all for one last roll of the dice in his F1 career.
Lewis Hamilton gets first taste of Ferrari in front of Tifosi
On a murky Wednesday morning at Fiorano in January, he had his first taste of what that would look like, taking to the track for the first time in a 2023 Ferrari in front of 3,000 fans. It was supposed to be a private test but as soon as word got around, the Tifosi could not resist catching a glimpse of their latest hero after months of dreaming.
In the world of AI and deepfakes, it's easy to create a 'mockup' of what Hamilton would look like in red. But the image of him donning a suit, standing in front of old man Enzo Ferrari's house, and next to an F40 road car was the 'Godfather' moment we all wanted to see.
Hamilton said it was "one of the best feelings of my life" when he drove out of the garage for the first time, likening it to when he completed his first test in an F1 car with McLaren in 2006. It felt like he was being reborn at 40, at least in his professional career, and it could be exactly the motivation that he needs to carry on.
Everyone needs something to chase in life: a partner, a career goal, a life moment. For Hamilton, this is that new challenge he desperately needed after three years on the grind at Mercedes.
Testing Ferrari’s 2025 challenger for the first time
Hamilton had his first run the SF-25 this week at Fiorano after hot-footing it from the F1 75 launch event in London, and the excitment of finally driving their 2025 was palpable.
“I’ve been waiting such a long time, so firing the car up, it’s like such a new uncharted journey. It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in as long as I can remember,” said Hamilton in a video for Ferrari.
He only took to the track for a few laps because of F1’s strict rules on running current cars for filming days, but it’s all part of the weeks of pre-season preparation that is probably some of Hamilton’s most intense since he started off with McLaren.
“I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Hamilton said in an interview with F1 TV. “It feels natural, it feels right, the timing couldn’t have been better for me. It’s invigorating to have this new burst of energy and I never thought that at this point in my life, I would have this much excitement each day.
“Getting to work with these new people, I am massively challeged with the hurdles ahead in terms of learning as fast as I can to fight for a world championship.”
How long the novelty of driving for Ferrari will last is anyone’s guess, but Hamilton’s gamble banks on them having success from the outset. Recent history suggests Hamilton and Ferrari will go the way of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, but it’s worth pointing out that both were not far off achieving success.
Vettel was up against the Mercedes juggernaut spearheaded by Hamilton, while Alonso had to contend with Red Bull’s rise.
Hamilton's clear threat to success now is McLaren, who look like the title favourites. They now have all their ducks aligned with Rob Marshall, Peter Prodromou, Andrea Stella, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Zak Brown.
Piastri and Norris have age on their side, much like Hamilton did when he took his first title in 2008 at 22 years old. As they showcased last year, experience goes a long way in F1.
The old versus the new way of racing
Red Bull and Max Verstappen will likely be closer to Ferrari's performance from the outset, if not a bit behind given how dejected the Dutchman seemed towards the end of last season - despite taking a victory in Qatar and winning the title with three races to spare.
If they come out of the winter break with a car that is back to the performance we are used to seeing, Hamilton will need to channel his experience from racing Verstappen in 2021.
The Dutchman's defensive tactics were controversial throughout last season and have led to changes regarding the rules of engagement on track. But as ever in F1, you read the rulebook once and read it again to see how you can circumvent them. Verstappen is a keen sim racer and will no doubt practice moves that will put him on the borderline of those rules.
This is perhaps one area Hamilton lacks against his rivals; although he is a gamer he doesn't spend his nights on iRacing like Verstapen or Norris. F1 has evolved a lot since the Briton joined the grid back in 2007, but the most significant change for drivers is their ability to effectively participate in 24hr test sessions if they wanted to through the sim.
Muscle memory is a key part of Verstappen's success, but at 40 years old and managing multiple business ventures, does Hamilton want to be doing the same thing?
It seems odd to be talking about Hamilton in the context of the 'old way of doing things' for success, but it’s now been 20 years and he is the second most experienced driver on the grid with 356 starts.
One thing he has going for him, and it's a stat that I think truly makes him the Greatest of All Time, is how Hamilton has been successful in three different generations of F1 cars: the light and nimble 2008 cars, the understeer 2014-2016 cars, and the 2017-2020 lap record breakers.
This current generation of cars using ground effects is probably one of the toughest to drive, simply because it has become so finely balanced and because the tyres must be in a specific operating window to work.
Hamilton is one of those drivers who makes it look easy behind the wheel, likewise Verstappen, Norris and Piastri. His teammate at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, is a one-lap specialist but there are times you'll see him with his arms crossed like an octopus behind the wheel - spectacular, like a mix of Gilles Villeneuve and Jean Alesi, but ultimately costing him time.
Andrew Shovlin, who worked with Hamilton as an engineer throughout his time a Mercedes, revealed that the Briton’s biggest weakness is in qualifying because of the current generation of car not suiting his style; attacking each corner by braking late and accelerating harshly on corner exit. That builds up unessasary tyre temperature and puts you outside of the operating window faster.
Whether Hamilton can get on top of this with a car that is sharper and responds better to his inputs will be key at Ferrari, but it could also go the way of benefitting Leclerc more.
The battle of the teammates at Ferrari is set to be a fascinating side-story, because Leclerc is no longer the apprentice. He’s graduated to being the lead chracter at Ferrari in recent years, and is part of the same generation of drivers as Norris and George Russell. Perhaps he might be the only thing standing between Hamilton and an the elusive eighth world title.
Hamilton is Great Britain’s 13th driver to race for Ferrari and their 114th driver since 1950. Out of those, only nine have ever won the world championship with the red team. Will Hamilton be their 10th, 11th, or never see success? 2025 might be his best shot yet.