"When the hype is huge it can always backfire": F1 champion warns as Lewis Hamilton gets ready for first season with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari was the biggest news of the 2024 F1 season. With the Brit arriving at Maranello a few weeks ago, the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership has garnered massive hype in the paddock. However, ex-F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has given a word of caution for the seven-time champion's journey with the Scuderia.

The 44-year-old raced for Mercedes for the past twelve years. Hamilton won six drivers' championships with the team during his stint at the German giant and was anticipated to end his career with the team.

However, this changed on February 1, 2024, as the Briton announced that he would be defecting to Ferrari on a multi-year contract. This created massive hype around his arrival at the Italian giant.

Since joining the team, Lewis Hamilton has been on an extensive testing plan to get into the groove. His pre-season testing results saw him claim the second spot in the timing sheets.

However, Jacques Villeneuve is not bought on the idea of Hamilton emerging victorious with the prancing horses as the atmosphere created by the hype has suggested. The Canadian claimed that having huge hype in the world of F1 can always backfire, and said (via Mirror Sport):

"With Lewis, it's really hard to say with the testing because there's been so much hype that it's hard to read what's actually been going on. The hype is huge and when the hype is huge it can always backfire."

The 44-year-old completed 162 laps during the pre-season testing.

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Lewis Hamilton reflects on the pre-season testing with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton at the Formula 1 Testing in Bahrain - Day 3 - Source: Getty

Hamilton had run the previous alterations of Ferrari's F1 cars at Fiorano and Circuit de Catalunya before trying out the SF-25. The seven-time champion looked balanced in his approach to extracting the most out of the 2025 challenger during the three days of testing.

Reflecting on the work done behind the wheel during pre-season testing, Lewis Hamilton said (via Ferrari):

"Overall, it’s been a great few days and we’ve made some strong progress as a team. We had to finish a little earlier than planned today, and the weather has been hard to predict all week, but that’s how testing works sometimes, and we’ve managed to gather a lot of good information to build on before the season starts. The whole team has done an incredible job, and I’m so excited to get to the first race in Melbourne. I can’t wait to go racing with them."

Hamilton will be hoping to etch his name in the history of Ferrari. His former rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso won on their debut with the Scuderia, and the Briton will try to join the elite list at the Australian Grand Prix.