How F1 world champions fared on their first race with Ferrari ahead of Hamilton debut

Most racing drivers dream of turning into the System 1 world champion with Ferrari in the future. However only a few handle to show that dream into actuality.

This 12 months Lewis Hamilton goals to show in any other case. His transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari ranks among the many most important transfers in F1 historical past as a result of it connects essentially the most profitable driver (seven world titles) with essentially 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 crimson – 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

Picture by: LAT Photographic

Juan Manuel Fangio was already essentially the most profitable driver of System 1’s first decade when he moved to Ferrari for the 1956 season. He had already gained 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 essentially the most aggressive seats. However this marriage with Ferrari was born out of comfort reasonably than love, since Merc’s withdrawal from racing and Maserati’s shaky funds made Maranello his most suitable choice.

Fangio’s house race in Argentina was his first grand prix for Ferrari. However it didn’t go in keeping with plan: a defective gas pump slowed him down, prompting him to take over team-mate Luigi Musso’s automotive on lap 30 of 98.

Musso had been operating 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 comparable automotive.

Fangio overtook Behra once more and made brief work of Moss as his engine continued to tighten up. Since Fangio shared his automotive with Musso, they break up the factors for the victory. Nonetheless, Fangio nonetheless left Argentina because the championship chief, due to 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 automotive completely. When a steering arm broke within the remaining spherical at Monza, and Musso refused at hand over his automotive, Fangio’s title hopes appeared precarious till Peter Collins did the respectable factor: three factors for second place within the shared automotive 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 one of the best of begins in Phoenix

Picture by: Ercole Colombo

Alain Prost’s bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna at McLaren meant one thing needed to change. Even earlier than Prost acquired 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 gang 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 surprising (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 at first. He fought again to fourth by lap 17 however simply 4 laps later his gearbox gave up fully – a much less spectacular retirement than Mansell, who spun out together with his engine aflame.

Prost bounced again shortly, although, successful the subsequent race in Brazil – Senna’s house floor – and 4 extra victories saved him in competition in opposition to 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 vehicles out.

The 1991 Ferrari wasn’t aggressive sufficient to string collectively a title problem regardless of the arrival of a brand new automotive mid-season. Inside politics constructed to a degree the place Prost was fired after the penultimate spherical, having in contrast the dealing with of his automotive unfavourably with a truck.

1996: Schumacher loses to Irvine

Schumacher suffered a uncommon defeat to Irvine in qualifying for his first Ferrari race

Picture 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 top 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 have been half a second off the tempo of the Williams vehicles 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 might be Eddie’s solely podium that 12 months.

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 crimson.

2010: Vettel’s misfortune is Alonso’s achieve

Alonso’s Ferrari profession acquired off to an excellent begin however by no means yielded the title

Picture 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 acquired the higher hand over Massa and ran second till a spark plug failure slowed down chief Sebastian Vettel’s Pink Bull. Alonso took benefit, swiftly overtook the ailing RB6, and gained 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 through coded message). A late-season flurry of three additional wins meant he arrived on the finale in Abu Dhabi with a slim 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 incorrect Pink 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 gained the race and the championship.

Alonso’s dissatisfied face after the chequered flag turned a meme, symbolising his title-less years at Ferrari.

2015: A podium for Vettel

Vettel was one other champion who failed to really hit the heights whereas at Ferrari

Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures

After a winless and irritating 2014 season, Vettel deserted Pink Bull and sought a contemporary begin at Ferrari. The Scuderia’s 2015 automotive 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 likelihood in opposition to the dominant Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, however he did handle to cross 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 attain his ambition of successful a championship with Ferrari.

What about Hamilton?

A reflective Hamilton ponders his Ferrari debut

Picture by: Ferrari

Is there something approaching a sample on this historical past of earlier champions gunning for additional glory in crimson? Solely that Ferrari debuts can differ dramatically, even for one of the best of one of the best.

Some, like Fangio and Alonso, hit the bottom operating with victories. Others, like Schumacher and Vettel, wanted extra time to seek out their rhythm. And a few, like Prost, confronted fast setbacks that foreshadowed larger disappointments.

Now, as Hamilton embarks on his Ferrari journey in 2025, the massive query stays: will his debut be an indication of issues to return?