Lewis Hamilton demand made of Ferrari as reality of huge F1 move laid bare

Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 as the British seven-time F1 champion bids for an eighth title before he eventually declares his racing days over

Ferrari have been told to follow Lewis Hamilton’s instructions when building cars for him to race from next year.

In a move which stunned the Formula 1 paddock, Hamilton announced earlier this year that he will join Ferrari in 2025. The switch brings to an end his lengthy partnership with Mercedes, having represented their works team since 2013 and used their engines for his whole career.

Next year, for the first time, he will be powered by 1,000 Italian prancing horses. But it remains to be seen whether his huge gamble, made in an effort to win the title one more time before retiring, will pay off.

Former F1 racer Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Hamilton joins Ferrari with a point to prove. He told Gambling Zone : “I think we will see the Lewis of old. He is going to be out with a revenge to prove everybody wrong and show everybody they were wrong about him.”

But even the best drivers cannot achieve big things if they do not have the machinery in which they can compete. And Montoya went on to give Ferrari one simple piece of advice when it comes to designing and building cars for the seven-time F1 champion.

The Colombian added: “I think if everything lines up, I think Lewis can be a huge threat for a championship. If Ferrari really wants to succeed, they really need to listen to what Lewis needs and build a car around him that Lewis wants.”

Hamilton will have to wait until the New Year before he can get his first taste of a Ferrari car. While some drivers leaving one team for another get the chance to test for their new employer post-season in Abu Dhabi, the Brit’s Mercedes contract and his remaining duties mean that will not be possible for him.

The Silver Arrows will dearly miss their most successful driver ever but must go into the 2025 season with the intention of getting the better of him. And that is exactly what team principal Toto Wolff intends to do as he declared Mercedes will not sacrifice the next campaign just to get a head-start on the new regulations for 2026.

He told Autosport: “This is the crux of the matter every year, and especially if you have such a big regulatory change, are you going to compromise one year or the other? But I’d like to take it from Niki’s [Lauda] motto, when being asked, ‘Would you rather win this one or the next one?’ And he says, ‘Both.’

“Probably the transition of people and capability into the 2026 regulations is going to happen a bit earlier than it would under stable regulations, but it’s not going to be game-changing. Nobody is going to switch the machines off in January unless you are really nowhere. But there is nothing to gain because between P10 and P7 doesn’t make a difference for us anyway. We are fighting for victories and podiums and cannot write it off.”