Mika Hakkinen’s verdict on what Lewis Hamilton can achieve at Ferrari

Former McLaren Formula 1 star Mika Hakkinen believes it would be “difficult but not impossible” for Lewis Hamilton to win a record eighth title after his move to Ferrari.

Ahead of 2025, Hamilton made a blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari, where he is expected to finish his F1 career and cement his legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time.

The Briton already holds the record for most race wins (105), podiums (202) and pole positions (104) in F1 and is level with Hakkinen’s former rival Michael Schumacher in the list of drivers with most championships.

The jury is out on whether Hamilton can usurp Schumacher and break one of the longest-standing records in F1, both because of his mixed results at Mercedes last year and due to a rules overhaul in 2026 that has the potential to substantially shuffle the pecking order.

Hakkinen did not rule out the possibility of Hamilton adding another title to his tally before retirement, but thinks it would be “difficult” for him to win a championship at Ferrari when several others like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel failed before him.

“It’s going to be a very interesting situation this year,” the two-time F1 champion told the Hindustan Times.

“The intention of the FIA is to make F1 more competitive so that there is more overtaking so the fans can enjoy racing. What that means is that all cars and teams, in terms of lap times and competitiveness, could be closer constantly.

“So, to be able to win races and a championship, it is getting more and more challenging. There can be 4-5 drivers who will be very close. There won’t be any domination that one team is quicker than others. So, I think for Lewis, this makes it very difficult to achieve victory, but not impossible.”

Ferrari is only the third team Hamilton is going to race for since he made his debut in F1 almost two decades ago in 2017.

He started life with McLaren, the team that had backed him since he was a teen, and moved to Mercedes just before the start of the new rules era in 2014.

“He’s been with McLaren, he’s been with Mercedes, now [he is] with Ferrari,” said Hakkinen. “We’re all developing constantly every day and Lewis is doing the same thing in terms of growing his knowledge about what’s happening in his surroundings.

“I’m confident that Lewis can bring a lot of good things for the fans and for the motor racing and can continue what he’s doing now.”

Hamilton finished sixth-quickest on the final day of testing in Bahrain, eight tenths down on the Mercedes of former teammate George Russell.