F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali also said the possibility of British drivers like Lando Norris dominating the sport in the coming years “has never been so strong”
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali admits he’d “love” to see Lewis Hamilton become World champion with Ferrari. And he thinks it would be great for F1 if Hamilton were to fulfil that dream, though time is running out for the 40-year-old to become the first person ever to summit the sport eight times.
“Lewis is an incredible champion,” said Domenicali, who was team principal the last time Ferrari won an F1 title way back in 2008. “Lewis has taken on that new challenge to achieve something unique for him and also for the team that he is working with today.”
Hamilton has found life at Ferrari tough so far with a sprint race victory in China the only success of real note. He hasn’t yet managed a podium this year with the team not as competitive as they were last term, though team-mate Charles Leclerc has finished in the top three in four Grands Prix to date.
The British seven-time champion has been open about his struggles to adapt to his new car but Domenicali remains convinced he still has what it takes to deliver if Ferrari can get their next machine right. He said: “He was expecting maybe a different feeling with the car and the driving style, but what is crucial is to always keep the focus on the fact he has moved from Mercedes to attempt to achieve something extraordinary.
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“As always in life, you have difficult moments that will make you stronger if you’re able to do it and I’m sure that in this moment, when there is a lot of tension and a lot of things around the team, that Lewis can help create a focus on what is needed to deliver, for him, a car that he can drive to the maximum. I’m totally convinced that, if this happens, then he will be there to fight for the win. 100 percent.”
Even if Hamilton’s time has passed, there remains a very strong British contingent on the grid. Lando Norris, 25, has blossomed into one of the sport’s top stars and is locked in a fierce duel with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for this year’s title.
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In Hamilton’s absence, Mercedes are led by 27-year-old George Russell who has won one race in a very consistent 2025 season to date, and sits fourth in the drivers’ standings.
Oliver Bearman, 20, is in his first full season on the F1 grid, driving for Haas but still part of the Ferrari set-up and has been tipped to be Hamilton’s successor in the future. And they could next year be joined by Arvid Lindblad, who turns 18 in August and looks set to be the next talent off the Red Bull production line.
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Domenicali believes British fans should be excited and said: “It has never been so strong, the possibility in the next few years for a British driver to become the World champion, because there are young drivers that are very, very good.
“There is Lewis, of course, who I would love to push up to the end to make sure that he can achieve the eighth title that no one has achieved. Lando is great. Bearman is great. You have a lot of good drivers there. Ollie, I think he’s doing very well. I think that there is a great possibility for a British driver to once again be a World champion. I really do believe so.”