Ferrari have signed their fair share of Formula 1 world champions over the years but none have arrived to as much fanfare and with as many trophies to their name as Lewis Hamilton.
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are the only two seven-time world champions in the history of F1 but were signed by Ferrari at very different points in their career.
Schumacher was the most exciting driver on the grid when he was signed from Benetton for the 1996 season and had just won back-to-back championships.
He brought legendary designer Rory Byrne and technical chief Ross Brawn with him and together they built a dynasty that saw Schumacher win five titles on the bounce at the beginning of the 2000s.
Hamilton has embraced Ferrari’s culture immediately but has joined the Scuderia with the majority of his racing career already behind him.
Ferrari have been impressed with Hamilton behind the scenes but immediate success on the track is much harder to discover.
Legendary F1 driver Jackie Stewart may have the answer for Hamilton if he looks back on how Schumacher’s arrival in Maranello was approached nearly 30 years ago.
Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher of Germany celebrates on the Podium after winning the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix held at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Mandatory Credit: Mark Thompson /Allsport
Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher of Germany celebrates on the Podium after winning the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix held at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Mandatory Credit: Mark Thompson /Allsport
Lewis Hamilton must embrace Jackie Stewart’s advice for Michael Schumacher about racing for Ferrari
Schumacher’s move to Ferrari was confirmed in 1995 and speaking to Australian broadcaster Channel 9, Stewart was asked to give the German some advice.
Stewart, who had three world championships to his name and had seen plenty of champions come and go from Ferrari in his time, explained: “The latest two-time world champion Michael Schumacher is going to Ferrari next year.
“He’s a brave man. Why? The last time Ferrari won a world championship was 1979,16 years ago.
“We’ve had 250 Grand Prix since then, before him it was another tough man called Niki Lauda, a real tough man and it was he who kicked Ferrari into place to make sure they would do what he wanted to win two world championships.
CATEGORY VOL. RANK
Races 246 1st
Championships 6 1st
Race wins 84 1st
Pole positions 78 1st
Podiums 153 1st
Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, 2013-2024
“Before him, if you think of other really tough men, it was Juan Manuel Fangio, the great five-time world champion. He only won it once [with Ferrari], John Surtees did win a world championship for Ferrari.
“But Alain Prost failed, as did Nigel Mansell fail in a Ferrari. Why, because they’re a very obstinate team, they want it their way.
“They’ve had a number of great drivers like Mario Andretti and I counted names that have been put out of business driving for Ferrari.
“And if a young driver like Jean Alesi went to Ferrari, they overcrowded them, they pushed them around, simply because they knew best.
“Can Michael Schumacher do it? I think he probably can. The reason, he’s German, he’s very dogmatic, he knows exactly what he wants and he’s one of the people who might be able to bring Ferrari back to victory.
“But to do that, he’s going to have to be very arrogant and very tough and he’s going to have to bring this team together like they haven’t been brought together for the last 16 years.”
Michael Schumacher had one thing on his side at Ferrari that Lewis Hamilton can’t rely on
There are certainly similarities to how Schumacher and Hamilton were signed by Ferrari.
They were both the biggest names in the sport when the move happened and had developed a reputation beyond Formula 1.
However, as Stewart explained, Schumacher had to make the team his own and bringing in Byrne and Brawn – plus the constant stream of drivers happy to be his number two – allowed him to dominate for years.
Rubens Barrichello was the perfect teammate for Schumacher but Hamilton doesn’t have that luxury given Charles Leclerc’s world championship aspirations.
Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 record
The likes of Jerome d’Ambrosio and Loic Serra have arrived from Mercedes with Hamilton but they weren’t specifically signed for him and closer allies such as Peter Bonnington were blocked from signing for Ferrari.
Schumacher raced for four seasons for Ferrari before winning his first title, time that Hamilton probably doesn’t have.
He’ll need to find a shortcut to success but making Ferrari his team as quickly as possible has to be the priority.
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