Hamilton to Ferrari: The last dance to cement a lasting legacy
In the sports world, the January transfer deadline days overflow with last-minute shocks, occasional record-breaking fees, and panic buys. However, the 2024 winter transfer period was oddly quiet by its own standards, suggesting the window would've been closed without any surprises. That is until our phones began buzzing with breaking news from a completely different sport, not football, but Formula 1. "Lewis Hamilton to join Scuderia Ferrari from 2025."
In the list of living athletes who transcend their sport, Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton is a common, popular figure. After a long period of reign by the great Michael Schumacher, Hamilton became the face of F1 racing, who first rose to fame with a brilliant debut season with McLaren before winning a world championship in just his second. After switching to Mercedes-Benz and taking over Schumacher's retired spot, he won six more world titles.
Will Hamilton's arrival help or derail Ferrari's franchise driver, Charles Leclerc? There is good reason to believe that Hamilton, with his track record, will relish the challenge—he will either beat one of the greatest drivers of the sport or he will lose to one of the greatest of the sport. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
With Hamilton, it's not just his seven world titles that makes him a household name. Sure, that earns respect among his peers and gives weight to his presence, but it is in fact, his persona and his aura that carries the most weight and makes him one of the most marketable athletes in the world. He is still the only Black Formula 1 driver to have raced in its entirety and this significance extends beyond the track.
Now, at 39, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen regularly dominating the podium, there have been questions of whether Mercedes has what it takes to regain the titles. However, given the way Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz relation has been over the last 11 years, questions of his own contract and role in the team were brushed aside. That is why this move has been shocking in general, with analysts still scrambling to understand the reason. But careful analysis shows that cracks were beginning to show all along.
First, losing out on the 2021 Championship in agonising circumstances saw Hamilton eluded from a record breaking eighth world title. Coming back in 2022 was always going to be mentally difficult and the car Mercedes presented was far below the standards he was used to. For the first time in his illustrious career, Hamilton failed to win a single race in both 2022 and 2023. Then there was the stalling and disagreements between the length of the contract Mercedes offered him. He wanted a three-year contract with future backing but Mercedes appeared hesitant.
Given that he is aware of his age, Hamilton knew that the next contract he signed could potentially be the last one and thus, he wanted assurance for future ventures. Even with a new contract signed and sealed, the relation seemed to have sailed its course. Mercedes' focus had shifted to George Russel and many of their team engineers or back-room staff had moved on.
Hamilton is aware that time is the luxury he does not have anymore and without Mercedes' assurance of things improving, he began looking towards greener pastures. Ferrari, one of the most iconic racing teams, came calling, at the right time. They showed him their development plans and direction and gave him assurance for the future. This is not the first time they came calling but this time there was a romantic factor—the man who called him was Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal and the man who essentially helped Hamilton jumpstart his career in Formula 1.
Back in 2005, Hamilton drove for Vasseur's ASM F3 team and won the European title, before graduating to GP2 and winning the championship with Vasseur's rebranded ART GP. It's Vasseur's leadership and guidance that set the cornerstone for Hamilton, and it seems that a proposal to be in the same team together again was not something he could overlook anymore. But how will it fare for them in 2025, when Vasseur is leading in the most intensive atmosphere and Hamilton has already won everything?
There is no doubt that wearing the Ferrari outfit is one of the sport's most prestigious achievement. But with that pride comes unimaginable pressure. To the Scuderia, racing is not just a sport. To many, it is heritage and culture, a love that has been passed down for generations. For Hamilton, it will be living a childhood dream; one his idol, Ayrton Senna could not fulfil before his untimely death.
Formula 1 will see significant ripples due to the move. Carlos Sainz loses out on his seat at Ferrari with Hamilton's arrival. Then there is Ferrari's franchise driver, Charles Leclerc, who has undoubtedly felt the burden of the spotlight on him since his debut. He was touted to be Verstappen's main challenger and while they have shared some great competition, the Dutchman has a significant grip with three titles, and Leclerc is yet to win any.
But will Hamilton's arrival help or derail Leclerc? There is good reason to believe that he will relish the challenge—he will either beat one of the greatest drivers of the sport or he will lose to one of the greatest of the sport. Either way, it's a win-win situation. It will also take some of the focus away from LeClerc and hopefully the pressure that comes with it. The two driver's relationship is also cordial, and both respect each other.
For Hamilton, the transition will bring new challenges in unfamiliar colours. There will be hiccups, he will need to adjust to the language, the culture, and a new team but given how he has continuously challenged and overcome adversity, it will be exciting to witness. If he does win a world title with the Scuderia, then he will have broken a two-decade long curse and enroute, stamp his claim as the greatest Formula One driver.
Raiyan Binte Rafiq is a sports columnist for The Daily Star. She is currently pursuing an LLM, while freelancing for INDIVISA. She also oversees recruitment at Next Level Sports Management based in Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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