Lewis Hamilton is the joint Formula One driver record holder and some say the greatest of all time. His seven driver championships equal that of the great Michael Schumacher and Hamilton’s latest great attempt is to deliver for Ferrari what the iconic German driver did almost three decades ago.

The then double world champion joined the Scuderia in 1996 as under the leadership of president Luce de Montezemolo they together with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt sought to end the longest drought of championship wins in the history of the Italian racing marque

The previous Ferrari driver to claim end of season F1 honours was South African Jodie Scheckter way back in 1979 and but for a crash at Silverstone where Schumacher broke his leg, the 20 year drought would have ended in 1999.

Hamilton attempts a Michael Schumacher Ferrari revival

Along with Todt and Brawn, Schumacher is credited with the modernisation of Ferrari whose culture of Italian machismo was hindering an efficient operation and in 1999 the team claimed its first constructors’ title since 1983. A year later Schumacher would see his name in lights once again has he dominated the sport.

Winning nine of the seventeen rounds that year Michael was crowned champion with three race weekends remaining which started a five year run of dominance for the Italian based team. Yet when Schumacher made his move to Italy he was joining a team living on distant memories of success although the reported $25m a year pay check appeared to smooth the way. At 26 years of age the German ace had his best years of racing ahead of him yet he committed to the misfiring monster that was Ferrari who were being embarrassed by the British garagerista teams of McLaren and Williams.

Having been forced to play second fiddle to his team mate Eddie Irvine when he returned after a six race absence in 1999, Schumacher almost by the force of his will faced down Mika Hakkinen in the season finale in Suzuka. It was another Ross Brawn strategic masterclass which swung the result in favour of the German who was to dominate the sport for another four seasons before a young Fernando Alonso and Renault would put pay to the Ferrari success.

Schumacher remains the only driver to ever win five consecutive F1 world championships as Lewis Hamilton’s run of six with Mercedes was interrupted by his pesky team mate Nico Rosberg. Despite the great names of yesteryear who are listed in there Ferrari canon, Michael Schumacher stands head and shoulders above his glorious predecessors and remains the most successful driver in the Italian racing team’s history.

Lewis passionate defence of Ferrari team boss

Whilst there are some similarities with the 1990’s state of Ferrari when Hamilton joined this season, he too believes he can raise the sleeping F1 giant as did his German hero some quarter of a century ago. Despite sixteen years at the top of global motorsport, Hamilton explained the task ahead in Italy. “For me it’s the first. Winning a championship with Ferrari is the first. That’s what I’m working towards. I don’t think about the number eight. I’m thinking about the first championship that the team’s won for some time.”

This is the essence of the Schumacher mentality which saw Ferrari’s last years of F1 dominance and Hamilton believes his experience at McLaren and Mercedes can change the dynamic at the blame culture dominated team, whose national media is almost daily demanding results. Yet at 40 years of age, Hamilton is no young Schumacher and there are questions as to whether the ‘old dog can learn new tricks’ with his driving style in the new ground effect F1 car designs.

Since the epic duel with Max Verstappen in 2021, Hamilton has been beaten two out of three years by his Mercedes team mate George Russell and the once king of the one lap push was battered 18-6 in GP qualifying in his final year with the Brackley based team. The omens were never good for Lewis at the time in his racing career and even Schumacher was in his fourth year with the Scuderia before his 2000 drivers’ championship.

Last weekend, Hamilton was called upon to defuse the growing row between the Italian media and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. His impassioned plea on behalf of the Frenchman was compelling. Echoes of the 26 year old Schumacher were evident in his press conference as Hamilton said: “I’ve literally just started here with Ferrari and I’m here for several years, and I’m here for the long-haul, so there is no question in where my head’s at and what I’m working towards achieving with this team, so there’s zero doubts.”

Russell questions his old team mates influence in Maranello

Yet Hamilton does not have the time left that Schumacher did and in the modern digital age the pressures come daily from social media, not merely from the weekend’s sports pages. His ex-team mate George Russell now believes Hamilton’s presence could even be counter productive for the Scuderia.

Unlike the great Fernando Alonso, much of Hamilton’s career has been in the best car and his winning mentality demands nothing less than success. With McLaren now dominating the F1 scene, Russell questions whether Hamilton’s demands from Ferrari will help the ailing motorsport giant who may need three more years – like in Schumacher’s day – before they hit their full stride.   

“I think when you’re a seven-time World Champion, anything less than victory is failure,” muses Russell. “And you’re probably pushing yourself and your team over the top to achieve beyond the potential, to try and achieve these great results, and potentially it’s counterproductive,” he suggests.

Can Hamilton head the pantheon of Ferrari greats?

Hamilton is once again in the shadow of a team mate in Charles Leclerc who on average is 0.196 seconds quicker in qualifying this year than the once great master. He is currently 7-3 ahead on the Saturday count and 25 points ahead in the driver standings.

Ferrari have ditched their development of the 2025 F1 challenger and now all hope is placed on them returning to the top as the biggest regulation changes come into effect in 2026. Despite suggesting he will be with Ferrari for another half a decade, the reality is that Hamilton’s need for success must come sooner. To this end he first must beat his team mate, before he can be considered alongside Schumacher in the pantheon of great drivers who have donned the red F1 overalls.

Lewis exudes that air of arrogance of his legendary predecessors, which include Albert Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hawthorn, Graham Hill, John Surtrees, Niki Lauda. And of course, the greatest of all time Michael Schumacher. But can he deliver?