Ex-Ferrari race winner Gerhard Berger has claimed that Lewis Hamilton winning the title with the team would be the most marketable event to ever occur in Formula 1.
Hamilton has split with Mercedes to begin a new venture with Ferrari as he bids to end his decorated career with a record eighth championship with F1’s most storied team.
The Briton arrives with Ferrari in an ongoing title drought dating back to 2008, having missed out on a benchmark-extending 17th Constructors’ Championship last season.
But despite the disappointment of missing out to McLaren, the Italian marque has reason to possess optimism going into 2025 amid a positive end to the recent campaign.
Ferrari is hoping that Hamilton’s experience winning multiple titles across two teams will prove to be the added ingredient that helps the squad to go one better this time around.
Berger, who won four races with Ferrari, is certain the Maranello-based team is on the right path with Fred Vasseur at the helm, as he endorsed the choice to recruit Hamilton.
“I would put my money on Ferrari this season,” Berger told Auto Motor und Sport.
“I can’t say whether Hamilton or Leclerc will win the Drivers‘ or Constructors’ World Championship, but they will win a title. That’s my personal impression.
“Ferrari was almost always fast last year, with a few slip-ups. I trust Fred Vasseur to get this volatility out of his system. It took a while, but I think they are very close.
“They are well positioned in terms of engine and chassis and have top drivers.
“Vasseur makes a good impression. He is calm, thoughtful, always on point, and he delivers. That has been the case at all the stations in the motorsport world where he has been so far.
“It was a good decision by Ferrari to sign him. And it was clear that it would take a year or two for his work to pay off. Now I have the feeling that it’s starting to work.
“I also think it’s great that he got Hamilton. Vasseur will bring Ferrari back to the top.”
Hamilton title in red would be a historic moment
Berger believes Hamilton securing the ultimate prize in red would amount to being the most publicised moment to happen since the F1 championship began in 1950.
Asked whether Hamilton and Ferrari is a suitable partnership, Berger added: “Yes.
“If Hamilton could become World Champion in a Ferrari, that would be the greatest thing that has ever happened in Formula 1 in terms of marketing.”
Hamilton backed to rediscover motivation at Ferrari
Hamilton has gone to Ferrari with question marks over whether he is encountering an age-related decline amid the struggles that blighted his final campaign with Mercedes.
The ex-McLaren driver was victorious on two occasions, but then-team-mate George Russell out-qualified him 19 times in 24 races en route to outscoring his compatriot.
Berger, though, has put Hamilton’s troubles down to him becoming demotivated with Mercedes’ demise, backing him to be reinvigorated within the Ferrari environment.
“I think Hamilton needs new motivation,” he assessed. “He has had two problems: the Mercedes has only been a winning car on exceptional occasions, and he has been in the same team for so long now that only a change of scenery will help. Finishing fifth is not a result that motivates Hamilton.
“He’ll have to grit his teeth again at Ferrari and could well be at his best once more. “
Leclerc will be huge test for Hamilton
“However, Berger has warned that Hamilton, now 40, will have a sizeable problem on his hands matching team-mate Leclerc, who is about to enter his seventh season at Ferrari.
“On the other hand, I think he’ll struggle against Leclerc’s speed,” he added. “It’s going to be a very tight race.”
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