Most racing drivers dream of changing into the Method 1 world champion with Ferrari sooner or later. However only a few handle to show that dream into actuality.
This yr Lewis Hamilton goals to show in any other case. His transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari ranks among the many most vital transfers in F1 historical past as a result of it connects probably the most profitable driver (seven world titles) with probably the most profitable crew (15 drivers’ and 16 constructors’ championships).
However Hamilton is under no circumstances the primary world champion to make the swap to Maranello. Different title winners have additionally tried their luck in pink – with various levels of success.
We check out the primary grand prix weekend for every of these champions – and whether or not it foreshadowed a profitable title marketing campaign…
1956: Fangio takes a shared victory
Fangio and Ferrari wasn’t an ideal match, even when they did win 1956 title collectively
Photograph by: LAT Photographic
Juan Manuel Fangio was already probably the most profitable driver of Method 1’s first decade when he moved to Ferrari for the 1956 season. He had already received titles in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, in 1954 with Maserati and Mercedes, and in 1955 with Mercedes.
It was an indicator of Fangio’s profession that he ruthlessly sought out probably the most aggressive seats. However this marriage with Ferrari was born out of comfort quite than love, since Merc’s withdrawal from racing and Maserati’s shaky funds made Maranello his most suitable choice.
Fangio’s dwelling race in Argentina was his first grand prix for Ferrari. Nevertheless it didn’t go based on plan: a defective gas pump slowed him down, prompting him to take over team-mate Luigi Musso’s automobile on lap 30 of 98.
Musso had been working in fifth place earlier than handing over. Fangio took off in pursuit of the leaders however overcooked it after passing Jean Behra’s Maserati, shedding time to a spin.
Then, over the course of three laps as half-distance approached within the three-hour occasion, the frontrunners hit bother. Fangio’s different team-mate Eugenio Castellotti suffered a gearbox failure, Carlos Menditeguy’s Maserati broke a driveshaft, and an ominous plume of smoke developed within the wake of Stirling Moss’s related automobile.
Fangio overtook Behra once more and made quick work of Moss as his engine continued to tighten up. Since Fangio shared his automobile with Musso, they break up the factors for the victory. Nonetheless, Fangio nonetheless left Argentina because the championship chief, because of an additional level for the quickest lap.
Mechanical bother dogged Fangio all through the season and neither did he get on with crew supervisor Eraldo Sculati; he was solely persuaded to stay at Ferrari when he was given a mechanic to have a tendency his automobile completely. When a steering arm broke within the remaining spherical at Monza, and Musso refused handy over his automobile, Fangio’s title hopes appeared precarious till Peter Collins did the respectable factor: three factors for second place within the shared automobile was sufficient to remain forward of Moss.
Fangio then moved to Maserati for 1957, the place he secured his fifth and remaining title.
1990: Retirement units the tone for Prost’s time at Ferrari
Prost’s Ferrari profession did not get off to the very best of begins in Phoenix
Photograph by: Ercole Colombo
Alain Prost’s bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna at McLaren meant one thing needed to change. Even earlier than Prost received the 1989 world championship over the road, he’d made preparations to maneuver to Ferrari – and infuriated McLaren boss Ron Dennis by dropping his trophy into the group after successful the Italian Grand Prix.
Prost due to this fact carried the primary on his Ferrari 641 for the 1990 season opener on the unloved Phoenix road circuit, the place sudden (and strange for the Arizona desert) rain on Saturday meant the grid was set by occasions from Friday – this being an period earlier than qualifying was consolidated into one TV-friendly session. That meant Prost began seventh with team-mate Nigel Mansell seventeenth.
Gearbox points dropped Prost to ninth in the beginning. He fought again to fourth by lap 17 however simply 4 laps later his gearbox gave up utterly – a much less spectacular retirement than Mansell, who spun out along with his engine aflame.
Prost bounced again shortly, although, successful the following race in Brazil – Senna’s dwelling floor – and 4 extra victories saved him in rivalry towards his nemesis. His title hopes, nevertheless, ended on the penultimate race in Japan, the place Senna had his notorious ‘second of insanity’ at Flip 1 and took each automobiles out.
The 1991 Ferrari wasn’t aggressive sufficient to string collectively a title problem regardless of the arrival of a brand new automobile mid-season. Inner politics constructed to some extent the place Prost was fired after the penultimate spherical, having in contrast the dealing with of his automobile unfavourably with a truck.
1996: Schumacher loses to Irvine
Schumacher suffered a uncommon defeat to Irvine in qualifying for his first Ferrari race
Photograph by: Motorsport Pictures
Twice a world champion with Benetton, Michael Schumacher felt compromised by allegations that the crew had been dishonest and exited his contract early to maneuver to Ferrari. There he confronted the problem of the brand new V10-powered F310 and team-mate Eddie Irvine, a feisty particular person identified for not respecting reputations (a trait that had earned him a punch to the pinnacle from Senna).
Within the season opener in Melbourne, Irvine unexpectedly outperformed Schumacher in qualifying, beating him by two and a half tenths to safe third place on the grid, one spot forward of Michael. However the truth that they had been half a second off the tempo of the Williams automobiles on the entrance row amply illustrated the problem going through Ferrari in 1996.
When the race was restarted after a first-lap shunt, Schumacher initially turned the tables on his team-mate and ran third. Brake issues then started to set in, finally forcing him to retire and elevating Irvine to 3rd – however it will be Eddie’s solely podium that yr.
Whereas Irvine solely managed three extra factors finishes and ended the season tenth within the standings, Schumacher claimed three victories within the ungainly-looking F310 in Barcelona, Spa, and Monza. He completed third within the championship behind the dominant Williams drivers, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
The next seasons took a relentless upward trajectory: from 2000 to 2004, Michael took 5 consecutive world championships in pink.
2010: Vettel’s misfortune is Alonso’s achieve
Alonso’s Ferrari profession received off to an important begin however by no means yielded the title
Photograph by: Sutton Pictures
When the McLaren relationship turned bitter and a return to Renault proved disappointing, Alonso turned to Ferrari in 2010 within the hope of successful a 3rd world championship. However his opening weekend in Bahrain started with disappointment: he certified 0.35s behind team-mate Felipe Massa.
Within the race, Alonso received the higher hand over Massa and ran second till a spark plug failure slowed down chief Sebastian Vettel’s Purple Bull. Alonso took benefit, swiftly overtook the ailing RB6, and received by 16.1s.
After this early success, Alonso didn’t win one other race till spherical 11, in Germany (controversially, when Ferrari imposed unlawful crew orders by way of coded message). A late-season flurry of three additional wins meant he arrived on the finale in Abu Dhabi with a slender factors lead over Vettel’s team-mate, Mark Webber, and Vettel himself.
However, regardless of Vettel’s presence on pole place, the Ferrari pitwall had its eyes on the fallacious Purple Bull. Pitting early to cowl Webber’s cease left Alonso caught behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault and consigned him to seventh place on the flag, whereas Vettel received the race and the championship.
Alonso’s dissatisfied face after the chequered flag grew to become a meme, symbolising his title-less years at Ferrari.
2015: A podium for Vettel
Vettel was one other champion who failed to actually hit the heights whereas at Ferrari
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures
After a winless and irritating 2014 season, Vettel deserted Purple Bull and sought a contemporary begin at Ferrari. The Scuderia’s 2015 automobile was higher than its disappointing predecessor and Vettel narrowly outperformed team-mate Kimi Raikkonen to safe fourth on the grid in Melbourne.
Vettel stood little probability towards the dominant Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, however he did handle to go Massa’s Williams within the pitstop part, grabbing third place. He held that place till the chequered flag – a very good begin to his Ferrari profession given Mercedes’ tempo benefit.
Certainly, Vettel appeared to overturn the established aggressive order in his very subsequent race, qualifying second to Hamilton in Malaysia after which beating each Mercedes within the race. Two extra victories in Hungary and Singapore cemented him as Ferrari’s lead driver, with Raikkonen solid as dutiful quantity two.
Nonetheless, Vettel was fated by no means to realize his ambition of successful a championship with Ferrari.
What about Hamilton?
A reflective Hamilton ponders his Ferrari debut
Photograph by: Ferrari
Is there something approaching a sample on this historical past of earlier champions gunning for additional glory in pink? Solely that Ferrari debuts can differ dramatically, even for the very best of the very best.
Some, like Fangio and Alonso, hit the bottom working with victories. Others, like Schumacher and Vettel, wanted extra time to search out their rhythm. And a few, like Prost, confronted rapid setbacks that foreshadowed larger disappointments.
Now, as Hamilton embarks on his Ferrari journey in 2025, the large query stays: will his debut be an indication of issues to come back?
On this article
Stefan Ehlen
Method 1
Michael Schumacher
Fernando Alonso
Lewis Hamilton
Alain Prost
Juan Manuel Fangio
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
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