Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari was one of the most significant events expected and symbolic of modern F1: a seven-time world champion who joins the most successful team ever, which has seen champions like Schumacher make history Formula 1 with red on. After a long marriage full of successes and records with Mercedes, the now 40-year-old has decided to take on a new challenge. However, he certainly didn't expect that after 9 races the podium spot was still, sadly, stuck at 0. And that's not all: excluding the inexplicable Sprint's exploits in China, Hamilton has almost always paid the price compared to his teammate, and the first doubts were not long in coming, as well as the first criticisms from the media and fans.
The comparison with Schumacher in the debut season
As previously written, in addition to Hamilton, the other 7-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, raced in Ferrari. It is therefore obvious that comparisons are made with respect to the context, the results and the adaptation of the same driver. It is important to underline, however, that "the Kaiser", arrived at Ferrari at 27 years old and coming from two consecutive world championships with Bennetton. The difference between the two champions is therefore already very important: the first one arrived in his best form and maturity, the second one instead, arrived with 13 more years on his shoulders than the German and in the final stage of career.
Another aspect in which the two debut seasons differ is the one concerning the teammates. We have in fact cited the Hamilton's difficulty keeping up with Leclerc. After 9 races he managed to get in front only once, in Imola, while There were 7 races in which he was subjected to the Monegasque law.
Unlike Hamilton at Ferrari, Schumacher had no problems in this respect in "getting rid" of his teammate Eddie Irvine, despite a car that did not allow him to fight for the world championship. The German scored 59 points to Irvine's 11 and also won 3 races, as well as 5 further podiums.. The difference, however, lies in the fact that Leclerc, having been part of the team since 2019, now knows the internal dynamics perfectly. Irvine, on the other hand, was also a rookie for Ferrari and was therefore less of a "bulk" for Schumacher. The German was seen as the driver who could revive the Italian team after years of drought.
Ferrari in crisis: from 1996 to 2025
A similarity between 1996, the year of the German's arrival, and 2025 is in fact the period before. In both cases, the shocking change of team occurred after many years without important successes. The team under Schumacher had not won a drivers' world title since 1979 with Jody Scheckter, while the constructors' title had been missing since 1983.
Even worse is the current situation, with the drivers' title that has been missing since Raikkonen's triumph in 2007 and the constructors' title since 2008. Schumacher's arrival, at the time, was the first brick of a long-term project, so much so that the first title arrived in 2000, four years later. For the Englishman, however, the story is different: he is a driver who, yes, is among the best in history, but as previously written, he is in the final stage of a career which saw him debut in 2007. Hamilton in Ferrari will probably not be 5 years old like Schumacher was, so he will have to hurry if he wants to get his hands on the eighth title.
Hamilton and the disappointing debut in Ferrari
Hamilton is certainly disappointed with his performance, as can be seen from the interviews, and hopes to be able to recover in the next races. Given the poor competitiveness of the SF-25 (which still occupies second place in the constructors' standings) the English driver can really use 2025 as a year to settle in, get to know the internal dynamics and the team, then «go all-in» in 2026, hoping for the success of the project regarding the new regulation.
As we all know, however, in Formula 1 self-confidence is fundamental and in the last few outings the 40-year-old from Stevenage has seemed doubtful on its qualities. Even the fantasymanager, in fact there are fewer and fewer who field Hamilton in their FantaF1 team. In the next few months, however, there are races that have seen him as the protagonist of incredible feats over the years, as Canada, Silverstone or Hungary. Is his time coming? All fans and fantasy managers are curious to find out.
