Ferrari’s New Era: What Can We Expect in Lewis Hamilton’s Debut Season?

Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut under the Scuderia Ferrari banner on Sunday, March 16, at the Australian Grand Prix on the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. According to the 40-year-old, his first race driving for his new team since leaving McLaren went much worse than expected.

He finished tenth in the race and earned just 1 point on the official F1 Driver Standings. His second GP of the season, on March 23, was at the Chinese GP on the Shanghai International Circuit. Hamilton finished in sixth place but was disqualified from the race, which earned him zero points and prompted calls to change the FIA’s rules.

The question being asked here is, what can we expect in Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari? Let’s dive straight in to find out.

Can Lewis Hamilton win the 2025 F1 Drivers Championship with Ferrari in his debut season?

The quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to find out if Lewis Hamilton can win the 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright is to see the latest odds for this particular market on today’s most trusted iGaming sites. For example, anyone placing bets on the F1 season right now is likely to see the following average odds, which are subject to change at any time and without prior warning:

• Bet type: 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright winner. Driver: Lando Norris (odds-on favourite). Team: McLaren Mercedes. Fractional odds: 17/20. Decimal odds: 1.85. American/moneyline odds: -118. Implied probability rate (IPR): 54.10%
• Bet type: 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright winner. Driver: Oscar Piastri (second odds-on favourite). Team: McLaren Mercedes. Fractional odds: 2/1. Decimal odds: 3.00. American/moneyline odds: +200. IPR: 33.30%
• Bet type: 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright winner. Driver: Max Verstappen (third odds-on favourite). Team: Red Bull Racing. Fractional odds: 5/1. Decimal odds: 6.00. American/moneyline odds: +500. IPR: 16.70%
• Bet type: 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright winner. Driver: George Russel (fourth odds-on favourite). Team: Mercedes. Fractional odds: 18/1. Decimal odds: 19.00. American/moneyline odds: +1800. IPR: 5.30%
• Bet type: 2025 F1 Drivers Championship outright winner. Driver: Lewis Hamilton (fifth odds-on favourite). Team: Ferrari. Fractional odds: 20/1. Decimal odds: 21.00. American/moneyline odds: +2000. IPR: 4.80%

In other words, based on these latest odds, it is doubtful that Hamilton will win the 2025 F1 Driver’s Championship in his debut season at Ferrari. However, some people might still view him as a good value bet.

Don’t forget that the odds-on favourites don’t always win, and anything can happen during a Formula One season. There are still plenty more Grand Prix races this season, and it’s too early to write Hamilton off.

What can we expect from the new Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc partnership?

According to numerous reports, English F1 racing driver and seven-time Formula One World Drivers’ Championship winner Lewis Hamilton has already settled into his new team. He’s been friends with 27-year-old Monégasque driver Charles Leclerc for several years.

The two drivers are said to have mutual respect, and their past relationship has made it easier for Hamilton to adjust to his new Ferrari team. In other words, the signs of a solid working relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc are already there.

Lewis Hamilton has praised Leclerc and said he is looking forward to learning everything he can from his new teammate. Hamilton will have to get used to his new car, which has a different control system from what he is used to and must quickly adjust to Leclerc’s style of driving on the race track.

While most say that the pairing is a match made in heaven and that they will go on to achieve many great things together for Ferrari, others aren’t sure and say that the relationship could turn sour as the season unfolds and the stakes get higher. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

When is the Japanese GP, and how will Hamilton perform?

The Japanese GP is on Sunday, April 6, on the Suzuka Circuit. He is currently the fourth odds-on favourite to win this race behind third odds-on favourite Max Verstappen, second odds-on favourite Oscar Piastri, and odds-on favourite Lando Norris.

He has slightly more favourable odds of winning in Japan and is currently priced at 10/1 (11.00 or +1,000) with a 9.10% implied probability rate.

In comparison, Max Verstappen is currently priced, on average, at around 7/1 (8.00 or +700) with a 12.50% IPR, Oscar Piastri is priced at around 7/1 (2.75 or +175) with a 36.40% IPR, and Lando Norris is currently priced at around 7/5 (2.40 or +140) with a 41.70% IPR.

In other words, there’s a good chance that Hamilton could shine at the Japanese Grand Prix, but we will have to see what happens on the day. The Japanese GP is followed by the Bahrain GP on April 13 on the Bahrain International Circuit and the Saudi Arabian GP on April 20 on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Other upcoming GP races to look forward to over the coming months are the Miami GP on May 4, the Emilia Romagna GP on May 18, and the Monaco GP on May 25, to name a few.

If you decide to place a wager on any of these upcoming Grand Prix Races, always stick to betting on fully licensed and regulated online sportsbooks like Betsafe, which is known for having some of the iGaming industry’s most highly competitive F1 odds. Gamble responsibly, and use the safer gambling tools to ensure you remain well within your spending budget.

Conclusion

There is no question that Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest Formula One racing drivers of all time, but whether he can win more titles racing under the Ferrari banner remains to be seen.

It’s still early, and he has plenty of time to settle in at Ferrari. His contract with Ferrari is reportedly a multi-year deal that could take him up until 2027, which includes options for a further year based on how he performs this season.

He moved to Ferrari for a new challenge and has already stated that he wants to win another world championship. Winning just one more F1 World Driver’s Championship title would mean one more than Michael Schumacher and make him the greatest driver of all time.