$50M worth F1 rival backs Lewis Hamilton as a potential title contender on one condition

Lewis Hamilton's rival team boss, Christian Horner feels that the Ferrari driver could potentially be a title contender this season if he gets off to a good start with the team. The 7x F1 world champion surprised a lot of people in 2024 when he announced that he was making a move away from Mercedes.

The partnership that began in 2013 had been very beneficial for both the driver and the team, as the combination dominated the sport from 2014 to 2020. The blip in form from 2022 onwards arguably played a role in the driver deciding that it was time to make a move.

There have, however, been question marks over what Lewis Hamilton could potentially achieve at Ferrari. On one hand, the driver is a 7x world champion, and if he wins a title with the Italian team, he would break Michael Schumacher's record of the most titles by an F1 driver. On the other hand, his form in 2024 raised a lot of questions.

The driver did not have a great run, and George Russell had the upper hand on him more often than not. The driver does, however, still continue to have backers, as rival team boss Christian Horner, who's worth $50M (as per Celebrity Net worth), feels that if the driver is able to get off to a good start at Ferrari, he could become a real contender. He told the media, including Motorsportweek:

“I think that, yeah, if he gets off to a good start and he gets the team behind him and he finds his confidence and he rides off that energy, then I can see him becoming a real contender in this championship."

He added:

“But I think so much will depend on how he gels with the team in that early part of the season. And we all know what Lewis is capable with, and if he’s re-energised in a different environment, absolutely, I think he could be a real factor this year.”

Lewis Hamilton gets the backing of Zak Brown as well

Lewis Hamilton also got the backing of McLaren boss Zak Brown, who felt that with Ferrari being very close to the front in 2024, the same should repeat in 2025. Backing the Brit to capitalize on the car's competitiveness, Brown said (via the aforementioned publication):

“Yeah, [I] definitely anticipate Lewis being a championship contender. I think we and Ferrari ended last year with nothing between us. I think that’ll continue. Mercedes were very close. They still won four or five races, so I’d put them in there."

He added:

"And, of course, Red Bull. Super strong first half of the year. A little bit less strong middle of the year and then ended very strong. So I don’t think there’s going to be anything between it with those four teams.”

If Lewis Hamilton does end up winning a world title with Ferrari, it would be a record eighth title for him. The driver currently shares the record with Michael Schumacher at seven titles each but another one would help him jump the German.