Anthony Hamilton, the father of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, has made a stirring proclamation following his son’s challenging Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
After the latter finished a disappointing 10th at Albert Park, hampered by mixed conditions and strategic missteps, Hamilton Sr. spoke with a fervor that bordered on the messianic, claiming that the pair are poised to “rebuild” Ferrari – not just for themselves or the team, but for the entire nation of Italy and its passionate Tifosi.
It’s a statement as bold as it is polarizing, especially given Ferrari’s storied legacy and its oft-repeated mantra that no driver, not even a seven-time world champion, is bigger than the Scuderia itself.
Ferrari’s last Constructors’ title came in 2008, with Kimi Räikkönen’s Drivers’ Championship the year prior marking their most recent individual triumph.
While the team certainly isn’t teetering on the brink of collapse – far from it – Anthony Hamilton’s words frame the Hamiltons as saviors riding in to rescue a faltering giant.
The notion feels a touch grandiose when set against Ferrari’s enduring prestige and competitive machinery, and likely raised a few eyebrows about whether this was visionary confidence or hubris unbound.
Anthony Hamilton’s Big Claim
Speaking to French broadcaster Canal+ post-race in Melbourne, Anthony Hamilton laid out his ambitious vision with an absolute conviction.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re fighters, just like Ferrari, which is a world champion team,” he said. “We’re going to rebuild this team, not just for us and for Ferrari, but for Italy and all the fans.”
It’s a sweeping pledge that casts the Hamiltons as architects of a grand revival, one that transcends the racetrack to unite a nation. The sentiment taps into Ferrari’s cultural weight in Italy, where the Prancing Horse is less a team and more a symbol of pride, but it also invites skepticism.
Ferrari has stumbled in recent years, yes, but “rebuild” implies a teardown that many would argue isn’t necessary for a squad still brimming with massive potential.
Undeterred by his son's P10 finish, Anthony doubled down on Sky Sports F1, framing the weekend as a steppingstone.
“We’re just really pleased we got this race over and done with and we finished it. That was the most important thing,” he said.
“With so few laps and time in the car it was always going to be difficult but we’re quite pleased. It’s been a learning process, we learnt a lot about the car, what we need to do, what we need to change and where need to go with it.”
Hamilton Sr. even spun the struggle into a positive.
“It would have been great to come here, been on the pace and been up the front, but that might have been too easy. We like things difficult so we’re going to work hard.”
The defiance is classic Hamilton – turning adversity into fuel – but the idea of rebuilding a titan like Ferrari from a P10 debut feels like a stretch that tests credulity.
Lewis’s Learning Curve and Team Dynamics
Speaking in Melbourne ahead of last Sunday’s event, Lewis himself offered a more measured take, acknowledging the steep adjustment to Ferrari’s machinery.
“We’re just improving every single lap, session on session,” he said. “Big learning curve this weekend. The car was so much different from the moment I left the pit lane.
“Just feeling so much different than I’ve ever experienced here. It’s been a lot slower process for me to really build confidence in the car.”
He contrasted his pace with teammate Charles Leclerc’s instinctive grasp.
“If you look at the high speed everywhere, I’ve been down all weekend. Charles just had it from the get go. From the minute he went out, he knew what the car does.
“For me, I was just building up to that through the weekend. I think I got a lot closer towards it to be that close to Charles in my first qualifying session in the car against a great qualifier.”
Trailing Leclerc by two-tenths in qualifying, Lewis saw progress amid the struggle – a foundation, perhaps, but hardly the stuff of instant revolution.
Anthony Hamilton, however, sees harmony ahead with Leclerc as a key piece of the puzzle.
“Charles is a phenomenal driver and individual and I think as team-mates they’re going to work extremely well together and we are going to bring this team back to a world championship,” he predicted.
It’s a rosy forecast that hinges on synergy between the seven-time champion and Ferrari’s homegrown star—a partnership that could indeed elevate the team, though Ferrari’s own leadership might bristle at the suggestion they need the Hamiltons to orchestrate it
A Savior Complex?
Anthony Hamilton’s comments are undeniably stirring, a call to arms for a fanbase hungry for glory after nearly two decades without a title.
Yet many will believe that they clash with Ferrari’s ethos that the Scuderia stands above any individual. The team’s history is littered with legends – Ascari, Lauda, Schumacher – who bent to its will as much as they shaped it.
©Ferrari
To cast the Hamiltons as rebuilders suggests a savior complex that feels a tad outlandish when Ferrari’s SF-25 car showed flashes of pace in Melbourne, even if strategy faltered.
The team isn’t in ruins; it’s a powerhouse waiting to deliver, not a broken one.
As the season unfolds, starting with this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, the Hamiltons will have their chance to prove whether this is prophecy or pretension – but Ferrari, as always, will have the final word.
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