McLaren F1 boss admits ‘excitement’ at Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella admits Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari has left him “excited”.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton is gearing up for his debut season with Ferrari after completing his blockbuster move from F1 rivals Mercedes over the winter.

Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari has dominated the media’s attention in recent weeks after the 40-year-old Briton made his first visit to the Italian team’s famous Maranello headquarters and made his on-track debut for the Scuderia.

The excitement and magnitude of the move has not been lost on rival team boss Stella, who worked with Ferrari for 15 years prior to joining McLaren.

“Observing from a distance I can say that I think the way it is, at least for how this has been reported, it was a great introduction of Lewis to Ferrari,” Stella told Sky Sports at the Autosport Awards.

“To be honest, as a fan of Formula 1, by having been 15 years at Ferrari before, I felt excited myself to see something that is historic for Formula 1, a seven-time World Champion going to Ferrari, one of the most iconic teams.”

Hamilton's preparations for 2025 suffered a small setback when he crashed Ferrari's 2023 car in a private test at Barcelona last week. 

McLaren aim to make Hamilton’s life ‘difficult’

Despite the global headlines surrounding Hamilton and Ferrari, Stella insists McLaren will be doing everything possible to make their rivals’ life “difficult” in 2025.

McLaren head into the new season as the reigning world champions, having pipped Ferrari by 14 points to claim their first constructors’ title since 1998.

The team ended last term with the fastest car and will begin 2025 as early favourites with Lando Norris looking to challenge for the drivers’ crown after being beaten by Max Verstappen in 2024.

“I think Ferrari and Hamilton handled this very well, but ultimately – I’m sure they know very well – what counts is what’s happening on track,” Stella continued.

“So, you know, after the initial excitement, I’m sure they will focus very much on making sure that the preparation is good and, on our side, we will try and make their life a little bit difficult.”