Last weekend in Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton finally lived the Ferrari dream, but it turns out that standing in red on the top step of the podium wasn’t a perfect replication of the Briton’s childhood fantasies.
Thirty years after fellow seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher commanded a beautifully, thoroughly red machine to his own maiden Scuderia victory at the exact same Spanish track, Hamilton admitted – tongue-in cheek – that the moment had been slightly spoiled by one stubborn detail.
Apparently, winning for Ferrari is not quite Ferrari enough unless the cockpit looks the part.
Hamilton’s triumph carried a heavy dose of nostalgia. As a youngster in Stevenage, he watched Schumacher create Ferrari history in Barcelona in 1996, and dreamed of one day experiencing that same feeling.
“It was 30 years ago that Michael won,” said Hamilton after his victory on Sunday.
“I would have been at home on my couch watching that race. Probably like many of you, with a plate on my lap, eating a sandwich or maybe chicken noodle soup or something like that on a Sunday – I was 12 – if I wasn’t racing.”
The memory clearly stayed with him, especially the image of Schumacher’s unmistakably red machine.
“I was just looking at that red car and thinking, ‘I wonder what it’s like sitting in that red cockpit?’ My cockpit happens to be white, which I’ve not been too happy about. I wanted it to be red like Michael’s. I’ll get it back to red at some stage.”
It is perhaps the most Ferrari problem imaginable: after years chasing another world championship, Hamilton’s biggest visual grievance is that his Ferrari is not Ferrari-red enough.
Hamilton admitted that stepping into Ferrari machinery fulfilled a dream, but the complete picture required more than just driving the car.
“But what it would be like to sit in that red car, which I got to experience last year, but then be in that red suit, standing in first place in front of that amazing crew who was singing the national anthem,” he explained.
Ferrari’s livery choices have already sparked debate this season, with the traditional red competing for attention with sponsor colours. Hamilton’s comments suggest he would happily remove any distractions and return to the purest version of Ferrari mythology.
Interior design consideration notwithstanding, celebrating with Ferrari’s mechanics provided Hamilton with the emotional payoff he had waited decades for.
“It was really amazing to witness and to see the joy in their eyes and to feel it with them,” he said. “I nearly passed out after I hugged them. My heart was exploding with joy,” the F1 veteran admitted.
Hamilton may want a red cockpit, but after Barcelona, Ferrari fans finally got the sight they had been waiting for: their car, their driver, and a victory celebration worthy of the badge.
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