Sir Jackie Stewart’s verdict on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s chances

Sir Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari shouldn’t be ruled out of F1 title contention this season.

The seven-time world champion has made a bombshell switch to Ferrari for 2025 after 12 illustrious seasons with Mercedes, with whom he won six of his seven world championships.

With Hamilton joining Charles Leclerc, Ferrari will boast arguably the strongest driver line-up on the F1 grid this year.

Ferrari hope Hamilton’s arrival can help return them to winning ways in F1, having gone 17 years since their last constructors’ championship triumph in 2008.

The Italian outfit came close to claiming the constructors’ world title last year, but were pipped by rivals McLaren, missing out on the crown by just 14 points.

Three-time world champion Stewart admitted he was “surprised” by Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari, but feels they will be in contention in 2025.

“He’s more experienced than he was last year and the years before that, he knows the business very well,” Stewart told Sky Sports F1.

“Ferrari is the biggest name in the world. If you went to a Masai warrior in the middle of Africa and said, ‘Do you know anything about Ferrari?’ They would know the name Ferrari.

“For Lewis, I was surprised he was going there.

“Going to Ferrari is very colourful, very exciting and usually very successful. I wouldn’t count them out, to put it that way.”

2025 Hamilton’s ‘best chance’ for eighth title

Hamilton has been told that the upcoming 2025 season could be his best chance of winning a record-breaking eighth world title.

Such a feat would not only end Ferrari’s drought without a championship trophy but would also see Hamilton move clear of the legendary Michael Schumacher in the F1 record books.

According to Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft, 2025 might be Hamilton’s best bet before the regulations are reset for 2026.

“What I would say is this might be Lewis’ best chance of an eighth World title,” Croft said at the Autosport Awards.

“Given the season that it could be in terms of teams won’t be throwing developments week after week after week, because they’ve got 2026 to think about.

“I do think Ferrari will be the most keen to get the most out of 2025 of the big four teams because it’s so long since they won something.

“And they want to prove that Lewis is the right man and or Charles [Leclerc] as well.”