For Formula 1, an Off-Season of Change

Lewis Hamilton said there was “magic” inside Ferrari that can help him make Formula 1 history.

Hamilton’s move to the team, a story that began in February last year when he announced he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024, has dominated the buildup to the new season. Australia will host the first race, on March 16, for the first time since 2019.

“I’ve worked with two world championship-winning teams, and I know what a winning team looks and feels like,” Hamilton said. He won the first of his seven titles with McLaren in 2008, and the other six with Mercedes. No driver has won eight.

“Everyone here at Ferrari has the passion like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ve absolutely got every ingredient they need to win a world championship. It’s about putting it all together.”

Ferrari has not had a drivers’ champion since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007. Its last constructors’ title was 17 years ago. The team missed out last year when it was beaten by McLaren by 14 points.

Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren Racing, said he “definitely anticipated” that Hamilton would be “a championship contender.”

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, agreed.

“If he gets off to a good start, gets the team behind him, finds his confidence and he rides off that energy, then I can see him becoming a real contender,” Horner said.