Lewis Hamilton given 'last chance' at Ferrari says former boss

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton given 'last chance' at Ferrari says former boss

Lewis Hamilton is just outside of the championship fight in 2025

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 15 April 2025 20:59

Former Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo has stated that Lewis Hamilton’s move to the Formula 1 team is his 'last chance' to win a world title, as he delivered his verdict on the seven-time world champion.

Di Montezemolo returned to the F1 paddock at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he bemoaned Ferrari’s lacklustre start to the season and claimed they lacked ‘leadership’ and a ‘soul’.

The 77-year-old also expressed his support for Mercedes and Italian driver Kimi Antonelli, hinting that he would like to have seen the youngster at Ferrari, after he suggested he should have gone to Sauber first - the team often acting as a warm-up seat for future Ferrari drivers.

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Ferrari’s former chief also spoke on the man Antonelli replaced, Lewis Hamilton, and said to Sky Sports Italia: "Hamilton is a great driver and part of Formula 1 history, he knows this is his last chance. He came to Ferrari to win and to end his career there."

Can Hamilton win a title at Ferrari?

The first four rounds of Hamilton’s Ferrari career have offered a mixed bag of results, ranging from a sprint race victory to a disqualification at the same weekend in Shanghai.

Hamilton remained hopeful that a series of upgrades in Bahrain would improve Ferrari’s performance, but a P9 spot in qualifying prompted him to deliver a curt interview reminiscent of his Mercedes days.

Whilst Hamilton went on to finish the race in fifth, he stated afterwards that he 'needed to do a better job' for Ferrari but nevertheless offered a glimmer of hope regarding their new upgrades which he described as 'positive'.

The chance of an eighth world title with Ferrari feels out of reach already in 2025, as McLaren once again proved to be the dominant car in Bahrain after Oscar Piastri's stunning victory.

Hamilton is now 52 points behind championship leader Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings, but is also crucially off the pace compared to his team-mate Charles Leclerc in qualifying and races.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix Luca Di Montezemolo