Sebastian Vettel has his “fingers crossed” for Lewis Hamilton to end Ferrari’s championship misery‬

Ferrari's new signing, Lewis Hamilton, brings ample winning experience and the right mentality with him. Like millions of Tifosis, Hamilton's former fierce rival Sebastian Vettel is also hoping for the former Mercedes man to succeed in Scuderia Red colors.

In just his second race, Hamilton already won his first race with Ferrari. The 105-time F1 winner triumphed in the first sprint race of the 2025 season in China. The boy from Stevenage showed his class and proved to everyone that Ferrari made the right investment in him.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel at F1 Grand Prix of Japan - Previews - Source: Getty

Moreover, his former rival and close friend Sebastian Vettel also discussed Hamilton's move to Ferrari. The German F1 champion said he's hoping for both Hamilton and Leclerc to perform well and bring glory back to Maranello.

In his podcast, Sebastian Vettel said:

"Well, for me, it didn't quite work because Lewis was there, so let's see now how he will get on. My fingers crossed. Obviously, I've raced him a long time. We get along really well and he's by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute."

Sebastian continued:

"His on-track skills don't need to be repeated. I think the numbers and statistics speak for themselves. But it's great to see that he's still on the grid and he still has that influence and uses it in a positive manner."

The former Ferrari driver also said that he was rooting for Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc to do well.

“Naturally my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship. But also Charles is there – it’s a strong line up and in the end it takes a lot of things to fight for the championship."

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Lewis Hamilton speaks out on "terrible" post-Sprint win changes to his Ferrari car

Despite his sprint win, Lewis Hamilton struggled in the Chinese Grand Prix to make a mark. He was subsequently DQ alongside his teammate, Charle Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly. His car was found to have excessive skid wear, while the other two had underweight cars.

F1 Grand Prix Of China - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

Talking to the media after the race, Lewis Hamilton explained what he felt was wrong with the car. The 40-year-old told the media, via f1.com:

“I feel okay. I wasn’t able to get the result that I was hoping for today. I needed a good start – which I got – [and] I was trying to see if I could pounce forwards but I just didn’t have the pace of the cars up ahead.

“And just balance-wise, from the Sprint race we made these changes and the car was terrible after that, so I really struggled with the car from then on.”

Lewis is P9 in the Drivers' championship with nine points. He holds a point's lead over his teammate Leclerc while he trails Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon by a point for the spot above.

Lewis Hamilton and Co. will return at Suzuka to participate in the Japanese Grand Prix between 4 and 6 April. Hamilton boasts a decent record at Suzuka and will be hoping to leeway some of his past experience to earn his first GP win with Ferrari.