Tributes pour in from Ferrari, Mercedes and co. for Lewis Hamilton on his 40th Birthday

Multiple F1 teams on the grid wished Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton on his 40th birthday on January 7. The British is arguably the most famous F1 driver on the grid and commands admiration from everyone for his achievements over the years.

Ever since joining the pinnacle of motorsport in 2007 with McLaren, the seven-time F1 world champion has showcased his talents to the world consistently as evidenced by his records. In his 18-year career, Lewis Hamilton has the most race wins in F1 history with 105, most pole positions with 104, alongside joint most world championships with Michael Schumacher, seven.

On his landmark birthday, Ferrari posted a video for Lewis Hamilton on their social media handle, wishing the seven-time winner on his birthday with the caption:

"Celebrating in style! Happy Birthday, Lewis!"

Hamilton's former employer Mercedes too wished their ex-driver who helped them win eight consecutive Constructor's Championships from 2014 to 2021.

"Buon compleanno @LewisHamilton," the post was captioned.

While Hamilton's first team McLaren F1 posted a couple of images from the 2024 Brazilian GP when he had the privilege of driving his hero Ayrton Senna's 1990 McLaren MP4/5B at Interlagos in the rain.

Lewis Hamilton will embark on a new chapter of his F1 career as he joins the iconic Ferrari this year after a rather challenging last season with Mercedes in 2024. He could only manage a P7 finish in the driver's championship, the lowest of his career.

---

Former F1 world champion comments on Lewis Hamilton's qualifying woes

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg said that although Lewis Hamilton's race pace has remained strong, his one-lap pace would be a cause of concern as he moves to Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc.

While appearing on Sky Sports F1 podcast this week, the 2016 champion reflected:

"Even though he still seems to be at his very, very best in race pace... when you qualify poorly all the time almost - and he says it himself, he's just not quick enough in qualifying - then that's something that was weighing on his shoulders so much during the end of the year," Rosberg said.

Further claiming that the 40-year-old could be feeling the pressure owing to his previous, underwhelming season on the grid, Rosberg said:

"Now he has two years at Ferrari, and he will 100 percent be very, very worried [thinking] 'What if this form of mine continues? Was it just the car at Mercedes, or was it something else, and what if this form of mine continues at Ferrari?'"

Despite statistically being the greatest qualifier in F1 history, Lewis Hamilton was resoundingly beaten by George Russell over one lap as he finished 5-19 behind his young compatriot and a further 1-6 in the Sprint Shootouts.