The seven Ferrari F1 debut winners Lewis Hamilton could emulate

Lewis Hamilton will be looking to emulate seven F1 drivers by winning on his Ferrari debut in 2025.

Expectations are high for the start of Hamilton’s new era at Ferrari after the seven-time world champion’s shock switch from Mercedes over the winter brought two of F1’s greatest names together.

Having already started work as an official Ferrari driver with a high-profile first visit to the Italian team’s famous Maranello headquarters and several on-track tests, there is huge intrigue into how Hamilton will fare in his maiden season in red.

The 40-year-old Briton will make his Ferrari debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.

Hamilton could get his Ferrari career off to a dream start by winning the season’s curtain-raiser in Melbourne, a circuit he holds a phenomenal record at.

Hamilton has the most pole positions at Albert Park, securing first place on the grid eight times, as well as winning the race twice. His first victory came in 2008 for McLaren, while he took his second with Mercedes in 2015.

Were Hamilton to claim victory in his first race driving for the Scuderia, he would replicate the achievements of seven other F1 drivers who began their Ferrari stints in winning fashion…

Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Musso

At the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, his home race and the opening round of the season, Juan Manuel Fangio took the chequered flag first on his Ferrari debut. It was a victory shared with Luigi Musso, also contesting his first race for the Scuderia. Musso led 29 laps before handing over to Fangio to complete a memorable win.

Giancarlo Baghetti

Giancarlo Baghetti took a historic victory for Ferrari at the 1961 Syracuse Grand Prix in Sicily. The Italian sensationally overtook polesitter Dan Gurney at the death to take the first-ever victory for a mid-engined Ferrari F1 car, becoming the first driver to ever win on his grand prix debut - a feat which still stands today.

Mario Andretti

The legendary Mario Andretti won just one race for Ferrari, which just so happened to be his debut for the Scuderia at the 1971 season-opening South African Grand Prix. Andretti would go on to enjoy greater success with Team Lotus and was crowned F1 world champion seven years later in 1978.

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell quickly made himself a Ferrari hero and endeared himself to the Tifosi by brilliantly winning his first race for the Italian team the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix. The 1992 world champion remains the last Brit to win a race for Ferrari - can Hamilton follow in Mansell’s footsteps some 30 years later?

Kimi Raikkonen

Michael Schumacher’s replacement, Kimi Raikkonen kicked off his Ferrari career - and title-winning 2007 season - in style by dominating on his debut for the Scuderia at the Australian Grand Prix as he converted pole position into victory. Raikkonen remains the last driver to win a world championship for Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso

The last Ferrari driver to win on their debut was Fernando Alonso, who led teammate Felipe Massa to a stunning Scuderia 1-2 at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. It was the perfect start to the season for Alonso, who would narrowly miss out on the title that year to nemesis Sebastian Vettel.