Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna has declared that Lewis Hamilton is “back in the game” following his move from Mercedes for the F1 2025 season.
And he has described Hamilton’s new year’s message on LinkedIn as “beautiful”, seeing it is an indication of the seven-time World Champion’s willingness to embrace a new culture at a late stage of his F1 career.
Ferrari boss praises Lewis Hamilton LinkedIn message
Hamilton is poised to link up with his new employers on Monday having announced almost a year ago his decision to join Ferrari on a multi-year contract.
The seven-time World Champion claimed six of his joint-record seven World Championships with Mercedes, as well as becoming the first driver to surpass 100 race wins and pole positions, between 2013 and 2024.
However, Hamilton has been restricted to just two wins across the last three seasons in light of Mercedes’ struggles to adapt to the ground-effect regulations in place since 2022.
Hamilton’s Mercedes contract expired on December 31, with the first day of January marking the official start of his Ferrari career.
He welcomed the new year by changing his occupation on LinkedIn, the business-based social media platform, to: ‘F1 Driver: Ferrari.’
Hamilton went on to write a short message to celebrate the start of his Ferrari career, finishing with the Italian phrase “andiamo” (translated as “let’s go”).
He said: “I could not be more excited for the year ahead. Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on.
“To anyone considering their next move in 2025: embrace the change. Whether you’re switching industries, learning a new skill, or even just taking on new challenges, remember that reinvention is powerful. Your next opportunity is always within reach.
“Here’s to 2025—a year of embracing new opportunities, staying hungry, and driving forward with purpose.
“Let’s make it one to remember. Andiamo.”
Vigna, who worked as a physicist before being appointed to the role of Ferrari CEO in June 2021, has welcomed Hamilton’s arrival, claiming the 40-year-old’s message on LinkedIn was a “powerful” one.
According to Italy’s Corriere della Sera, he said: “There is excitement, there is a great desire to start, to face the tests.
“Change is always important and Hamilton has put himself back into the game.
“I loved reading his post on Linkedin at the start of the year, a powerful message not to give up hope in all areas.
“With him and Charles [Leclerc] we will have fun.
“A guy who has won seven titles can transfer so much. If I talk to Fred [Vasseur, team principal] he emphasises his ability to give technical guidance, but not only that.
“He has a great desire for change, he’s not afraid.
“At the age of 40 he has put himself back into the game. He has embraced a different culture in many ways, compared to the Anglo-Saxon one.
“To me that post on Linkedin reminded me of when Indro Montanelli [famous Italian journalist who founded the La Voce newspaper aged 85 following a disagreement with Silvio Berlusconi in 1994] decided to change at the age of 80.
“I found it beautiful.”
Ferrari enjoyed their most productive season in years in F1 2024, falling just 14 points short of Constructors’ Champions McLaren after a combined five wins for Leclerc and Hamilton’s predecessor Carlos Sainz.
Vasseur recently confirmed that Ferrari’s F1 2025 car, codenamed Project 677, is to be “completely new” as the team aim to secure their first title of any kind since 2008.
Vigna says he was “proud” of Ferrari’s achievements last season, tipping Hamilton’s arrival to provide an extra “push” in F1 2025.
He said: “Last year at the last race in Abu Dhabi I personally thanked the whole team, from Fred Vasseur to the mechanics: I am proud of the work done.
“Now there is a good atmosphere. It’s clear that it must always be maintained, that’s the beauty of the Ferrari spirit: it always pushes you to go further.
“It will give us a new push. Lewis will learn things from us and we will learn things from him.
“It’s like dancing, the important thing is not to lose the pace.”
Asked what he expected from Ferrari in F1 2025, he added: “Wheels on the ground. The fundamental thing is to learn from mistakes.”
Hamilton’s first day at Maranello on Monday is set to feature a simulator session and meetings with his new engineers, including Riccardo Adami, who is expected to become his new race engineer having previously worked with Sainz and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
It was revealed last year that Hamilton’s long-serving race engineer Peter Bonnington would not be following him to Ferrari, having been promoted to a new role at Mercedes for F1 2025.
Also reports in 2024 claimed that Hamilton had contacted Vettel to gain an initial impression of Adami, with the former Red Bull and Aston Martin giving a glowing endorsement of the race engineer.
Hamilton is expected to take to the track behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2022 car, the F1-75, during the team’s annual ‘wake-up’ test at Fiorano to get the drivers back up to speed ahead of the new season.
Hamilton’s pre-season schedule is then expected to take him to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the home of F1’s Spanish Grand Prix, for a second TPC (Testing of Previous Car) run.
Project 677 will be launched on February 19, one day after Hamilton and Leclerc appear at F1’s first-ever collective season launch event attended by all 10 teams in London, before F1 holds a pre-season test in Bahrain between February 26-28.
Hamilton is then poised to appear at an event in Milan organised by Ferrari and new sponsor Unicredit before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
