Lewis Hamilton REVEALS his favourite F1 game driver

Lewis Hamilton playing F1 games — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Superstars

Hamilton REVEALS his favourite F1 game driver

Lewis Hamilton has long been a fan of Ferrari

Cal Gaunt

Sunday 25 February 2024 09:57

Lewis Hamilton's long-standing desire to drive for Ferrari traces back to his childhood, where he immersed himself in F1 video games,.

The seven-time world champion has admitted he would often taking on the virtual persona of Michael Schumacher -from the German superstar's early years in the sport.

The announcement earlier this month that Hamilton would depart from his Mercedes contract a year early to join Ferrari in 2025 sent shockwaves through the F1 community.

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Ferrari, seeking to reclaim its former glory, has not clinched a drivers' championship since Kimi Raikkonen's triumph in 2007, with its last sustained period of success occurring during Schumacher's dominance from 2000 to 2004.

In an Instagram post, Hamilton expressed that driving for Ferrari had always been a "childhood dream", a sentiment he expanded upon during a news conference at preseason testing.

Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025

Lewis Hamilton says he used to play as Michael Schumacher in F1 video games

Schumacher inspired Hamilton

The seven-time world champion's childhood fascination with Ferrari, fuelled by virtual experiences as Schumacher, has now materialised into a real-world opportunity as he prepares to join the iconic Italian team in 2025.

“I think for every driver growing up, watching history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think all of us sit in our garages, and you see the screen pop up, you see a driver in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it will be like to be surrounded by the red.” Hamilton said.

“You go to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and you see the sea of red of Ferrari fans and you can only stand in awe of that. It is a team that has not had huge success since Michael’s days, and I see it as a huge challenge.

“As a kid I used to play the Grand Prix 2 computer game as Michael in that [Ferrari] car. It is definitely a dream, and I am really excited about it.”

Hamilton could have been mistaken in his memory given Schumacher was at Benetton in the Grand Prix 2 game based on the 1994 season.

In an interview with F1, Hamilton has also previously said that in other games he would also play as Ferrari's last world champion Kimi Raikkonen while the Finn was in his McLaren years.

“I remember before I got to Formula 1, in computer games I’d always be in Kimi’s car,” Hamilton laughed. “So I had this crazy experience of racing against him, losing a championship to him and then [having] lots of great battles [with him]."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Fernando Alonso Michael Schumacher Kimi Raikkonen