Does Lewis Hamilton’s arrival make Ferrari title favourites once again?
By Alex Harris, for FIRST.com
Lewis Hamilton sent social media into a frenzy when he dropped a Godfather-esque photo of himself standing next to an F40 at Maranello earlier this week.
It was his first official visit to Ferrari HQ and the 40-year-old has wasted no time in getting acquainted with his new team as he attempts to land a record-breaking eighth drivers' title.
The former Mercedes man’s shock decision to ditch the Silver Arrows for the Prancing Horse raised the stakes ahead of the most-eagerly anticipated Formula 1 season for years.
After three difficult campaigns since his controversial title battle with Max Verstappen in 2021, Hamilton has thrown in his lot with Ferrari and their relative competitiveness in recent years means he should be in with a chance of challenging for the crown again.
But what does this mean for Hamilton’s hopes of an eighth Formula 1 drivers’ title triumph and securing Ferrari’s first constructors championship since 2008.
Despite missing out on last year's team title, Ferrari scored the most points in the second half of the campaign and should head into the 2025 season in a confident mood.
Ferrari are priced at 5/4 to win the constructors' championship - the same as reigning champions McLaren - and the two teams are worthy favourites in this betting market.
Of their major rivals, Red Bull start the season on the back foot and it is difficult to envisage Verstappen's new team-mate, Liam Lawson, challenging for race wins, while Mercedes have replaced Hamilton with rookie teenager Kimi Antonelli, who will probably need time to get fully up to speed.
The great unknown is that Ferrari's latest challenger is set to be significantly different from the SF-24, with the standout being a change to its front suspension concept as pull-rods replace push-rods.
The last time a Ferrari driver was favourite for the drivers’ championship was in 2010 with Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton's current odds of 13/2 to win the drivers' championship appeal as an each-way angle and could prove to be good value by the end of the year if the redesign is successful and the new car blooms on track.
He is the fourth favourite in the market behind Norris and Verstappen, who are 2/1 shots, and new Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who can be backed at 4/1.
It has perhaps been forgotten that Leclerc scored the most points in the second half of last season after bagging 179 from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards.
That was four more than Norris and 19 more than Verstappen so the Monegasque deserves to be seen as a serious contender in his quest for a first title.
Quite frankly, the internal competition at Ferrari could set the tone for the destination of the championship and it promises to be a fascinating year on the track.
Whether the oldest and most-successful team in Formula 1 history can ultimately help Hamilton achieve his dream remains to be seen, but the second half of last term indicates Verstappen is highly unlikely to run away with a fifth-consecutive title.
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