Lewis Hamilton will in spite of everything make his long-anticipated Ferrari debut at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
Components 1’s largest international famous person, within the colors of its maximum iconic and mythologised crew: it feels like a fit made in racing heaven. Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello has been met with a wave of pleasure in Italy, the place Ferrari is greater than a crew; it is a nationwide establishment, nearly similar to faith.
A victory instantly out of the gate would ship the hype into overdrive, and historical past suggests it is not an outlandish chance. A few of Ferrari’s largest drivers have executed simply that.
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Juan Manuel Fangio (and Luigi Musso) | 1956
One in all F1’s maximum iconic drivers, Fangio received 5 global titles with 4 groups, together with Ferrari. There have been some parallels to Fangio’s transfer to Ferrari in 1956 with Hamilton’s this yr in that each joined from Mercedes.
Fangio’s access right here comes with a quirk of racing in that technology. He led early in his debut, at his house race in Argentina, however his automotive suffered mechanical problems at mid distance. In the ones days, automotive swaps had been approved and had been not unusual when involving a crew’s lead driving force. Fangio was once the undisputed chief, so he took over Musso’s automotive and went directly to win the race, which means that Fangio and Musso — who was once additionally making his Ferrari debut after shifting from Maserati — shared the victory within the file books.
It will be Musso’s handiest grand prix victory. Fangio went directly to win the name earlier than shifting once more in 1957 and profitable his 5th and ultimate championship with Maserati.
Giancarlo Baghetti | 1961
Probably the most quirks of the F1 historical past books, Baghetti has exactly one victory to his identify: the 1961 French Grand Prix, in a privately run Ferrari 156, again within the day when there was once now not a set access listing. There must be an asterisk right here; as an unbiased player, Baghetti was once racing for Federazione Italiana Scuderie Automobilistiche, however the automotive that crossed the road simply 0.1 2nd forward of American Dan Gurney’s Lotus was once nonetheless a Ferrari.
Most effective Giuseppe “Nino” Farina, who received the first-ever global championship race in 1950, and Johnnie Parsons, who received the Indy 500 when it was once integrated at the season time table, can boast an F1 collection win on their debut. Baghetti by no means got here on the subject of profitable every other race.
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Hamilton appears ahead to Ferrari debut at Australian GP
Lewis Hamilton says he’s having a look ahead to his Ferrari debut on the Australian Grand Prix after a hit trying out in Bahrain.
Mario Andretti | 1971
Talking of American drivers, few are as well-known as Andretti. The Italian-American introduced his arrival at the F1 scene with Italy’s most famed crew, profitable the 1971 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. There was once a slice of fortune about it, with race chief Denny Hulme’s engine failing within the ultimate laps, however the occupation that adopted was once no fluke. It was once the 1st victory in an F1 occupation that culminated with the 1978 championship with Lotus.
Nigel Mansell | 1989
Birmingham, England’s favorite son gave the most efficient instance of the way an quick win with Ferrari can earn you mythical standing from day one. Mansell, who may just proudly boast to be the remaining driving force handpicked by means of Enzo Ferrari earlier than his dying, stormed to a win on the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix on the Jacarepaguá circuit within the iconic John Barnard-designed Ferrari 640.
Mansell’s well-known dogged, take-no-prisoners option to racing, which incessantly left the auto having a look love it was once being pushed at the ragged edge, earned him instant recognize from the tifosi. Mansell was once briefly dubbed “Il Leone” (“The Lion”) for the best way he drove his Ferrari.
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His debut win was once additionally a vital second in F1 historical past, the 1st race victory in a automotive that includes a semiautomatic gearbox. The 640 was once as cutting edge because it was once unreliable, and it had quite a few unrealised attainable; Mansell failed to complete seven instances that season, however each and every time he did, he was once at the podium.
Mansell was once joined by means of Alain Prost the next yr — the Frenchman would win his 2nd race — and was once briefly overshadowed. Each drivers bitterly cut up from Ferrari and went directly to win championships within the early Nineteen Nineties with the dominant Williams crew. Probably the most nice Ferrari “what will have been” tales.
Kimi Räikkönen | 2007
The remaining guy to win a drivers’ championship in a Ferrari, Räikkönen kicked off his maiden season in superb taste. Now not daunted by means of the drive of changing Michael Schumacher, who retired on the finish of 2006, “The Iceman” received the Australian Grand Prix, beating reigning global champion Fernando Alonso and the Spaniard’s new teammate, younger Hamilton himself. The escalating inside drama at McLaren between Alonso and the rookie Hamilton would open the door for Räikkönen to grasp the name away on the ultimate race of the season in Brazil.
Räikkönen raced for Ferrari till leaving on the finish of 2009, handiest to go back in 2014. Räikkönen was once a long way much less a hit in his 2nd stint — returning in 2014, he must wait till the 2018 U.S. Grand Prix to style victory in crimson once more. Hamilton shall be hoping to emulate the Finn’s first stint.
Fernando Alonso | 2010
Ferrari’s remaining first-time winner had reverse fortunes to Räikkönen. After two years within the barren region again at Renault, Alonso stormed again to name competition with Ferrari. He set the tone for the season to return with an outstanding victory on the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso took the 1st of his 11 wins with Ferrari in his debut with the crew, even if he’d by no means win an international championship with the Italian outfit. David Davies/PA Photographs by the use of Getty Photographs
Changing a former global champion in Räikkönen, Alonso gave the look to be beginning a brand new title-winning technology in crimson. It wasn’t to be, as wasteland circuits would now not be so sort to Ferrari later that yr. Arriving on the Abu Dhabi finale with the championship lead over Purple Bull pair Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, Alonso’s name possibilities slipped away after Ferrari made a calamitous technique name that passed the name to the latter. Alonso would by no means set up to recover from the road with the Italian marque.
What about Michael Schumacher?
Ferrari’s maximum iconic driving force needed to wait till his 7th race for his first win, however he were given it executed in his first season. Schumacher’s pressure to victory within the pouring rain on the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix — the place he often lapped upwards of 3 seconds faster than the next-quickest automotive — may smartly be the best of his 91 wins, and it was once the 1st of many in crimson. Ferrari had suffered a brutal few years within the early- and mid-Nineteen Nineties, however Schumacher’s arrival was once the start of higher days. After heartbreak within the name deciders of 1997 and 1998 — and a damaged leg in 1999 — Schumacher in spite of everything received his first Ferrari name in 2000, the 1st of 5 in a row.
Does everybody win of their debut season?
Now not everybody will get it executed right away, however maximum Ferrari drivers of the fashionable technology have controlled it of their first yr using the crimson vehicles. Vettel did it in his 2nd race with the crew, his memorable win on the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello received in his eleventh race for Ferrari, the 2000 German Grand Prix, whilst Charles Leclerc needed to wait till race No. 13, profitable the Belgian Grand Prix in 2019, earlier than profitable at Monza for just right measure the next weekend. Felipe Massa’s first win for Ferrari got here 14 races into his 2006 debut season.
The one driving force of the present millennium who didn’t win in his Ferrari debut season is Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had the misfortune of getting that landmark marketing campaign all through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, which noticed Ferrari tumble down the aggressive order after the very secretive agreement it got here to with the FIA after coming into an engine in 2019 that many opponents believed was once unlawful. Ferrari didn’t win a unmarried race in 2020 or 2021, however did so in 2022, when Sainz was once in a position to assert his first F1 victory on the British Grand Prix.
So, no drive, Lewis, but when historical past is anything else to move by means of, the bar has been set sky-high.
