Lewis Hamilton shocked the world by announcing his departure from Mercedes to join Scuderia Ferrari just over a year ago.

This seismic announcement sent ripples across Formula 1 and has been a hot topic of discussion ever since, not only within the sport, but also from a branding, marketing and fan engagement point of view.

With the 2025 season kicking off this week, it's the perfect moment to examine how Hamilton’s move to Ferrari can already be seen as a success regardless of the results this season brings.

Lewis Hamilton’s success as an F1 driver is undeniable. He has won seven world championships, 105 races and holds the record for most F1 race wins, pole positions and podium finishes, making him a household name across the globe and the pinnacle of sporting success.

Despite a huge proportion of his success coming from his long-term team Mercedes, where many fans saw Hamilton seeing out his final years in the sport, Hamilton wanted another chapter in his career and strategically made the decision to join Ferrari for 2025 and beyond.

Like Hamilton, Ferrari seldom needs an introduction. They are the most iconic racing team in history. They are the only team to have competed every season since the championship began in 1950 and are still the most successful and decorated team in F1 history. However, despite this rich heritage, they haven’t won a championship since 2008. From a racing point of view, the pressure is on for Hamilton to secure not only his eighth world title, but to also end the team’s 17-year silverware drought.

However, from a commercial standpoint, the success of the partnership is already palpable. Combining F1’s biggest celebrity with arguably its biggest brand, Ferrari, was always going to create a stir and has reached people beyond the traditional F1 fan base. The announcement post, with Hamilton stood outside Enzo Ferrari’s house quickly became the most liked Formula 1 post in Instagram history, with Ferrari’s Instagram gaining over 232,000 followers within 24 hours of the announcement. Furthermore, the fact that more than 7,000 fans turned up to watch Hamilton drive a Ferrari for the first time at Fiorano, on a cold Wednesday morning in February, points to just how special this partnership is going to be and the incredible influence of Hamilton’s presence.

(Picture: Instagram - Lewis Hamilton)

Their enthusiasm can only be a great thing for both Hamilton and Ferrari’s commercial teams, evidenced by the first item of Hamilton x Ferrari merchandise selling out instantly online following its release as fans clamour to engage with the new partnership.

With Hamilton’s diverse fan base, the expectations are high around the positive impact his devotion to promoting diversity and championing talent from underrepresented backgrounds will have for Ferrari and the wider Italian fan base. Ferrari has long been revered for its racing pedigree; however, they have historically carried a reputation for being stuck in their ways – a team resistant to change. Hamilton’s influence—both as a cultural icon and an advocate for diversity—will help modernise Ferrari’s image, making it more appealing to younger, socially conscious fans.

F1 itself will also benefit from Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. In recent years the general interest in F1 has increased following Netflix’s Drive to Survive unlocking new audiences for the sport – particularly in the US, however last season saw the first signs that fans were getting bored of the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, resulting in a decline in viewership with ESPN reporting a 3 per cent year on year decline in US viewership for 2024.

The Hamilton storyline is exactly what F1 has needed to boost excitement. The initial popularity and engagement seen from both fans and non-fans will hopefully continue into the season and provide a boost to the viewing figures and knock positive impacts for F1. Upon the announcement, Murray Barnett, Head of Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships at F1 (2017-20), noted that “Ticket prices for promoters will go up and the entry price for sponsors across the board will rise because people will see a knock-on effect on the overall level of excitement and interest [with Hamilton at Ferrari].”

Hamilton’s Ferrari move has also been hugely beneficial for commercial partners. Sponsorlytix reported how the first image of Hamilton in his race suit earned over £319,000 for the visible partners. Sponsorlytix CEO Omar Al Raisi highlighted “Every logo placement on Lewis’s kit delivers incredible value, showcasing the synergy between athletes' social media presence and team sponsors”.

The shift in teams can also be seen as a success for Lewis and his formidable personal brand, giving him the opportunity to work with new partners and move away from those tied to Mercedes.

A key example of this is the recent announcement of Hamilton becoming a Lululemon ambassador. As a traditionally female athleisure brand, the partnership is well judged within the wider F1 space, considering how F1 are seen to be actively courting female fans through partnerships, such as with Aston Martin x ELEMIS and F1 x LVMH. The partnership is also a huge move for Lululemon as a brand. They are shifting their focus onto male sport, and Hamilton, as the 11th most marketable athlete in the world for 2024 according to Sports Pro, is the perfect ambassador to assist them on this journey.

According to our study into fan behaviour, Decoding 360 2024, it showed that UK F1 fans are 27 per cent more likely to buy the newest fashion brands or styles and that 1 in 3 fans consider themselves to be personally stylish. This provides great synergy for Lululemon to enter the F1 market. Additionally, Hamilton’s focus on high performance while also being particularly fashion forward ensures this is an authentic partnership and one that makes sense for both parties.

(Picture: Instagram - Lewis Hamilton & Lululemon)

Outside the track, Lewis has expanded his influence beyond racing as he has bridged the gap between sport and high fashion. For many years he has forgone the standard team branded outfits on race weekends, instead opting for more flamboyant fashion forward options, which he notes was to “express myself creatively” and his way of finding his identity.

Although this initially raised eyebrows, his influence can be seen as more drivers express their personality through their outfit choices turning the paddock into a pre-race fashion show. Never being one to settle, Lewis has gone one step further, securing a position as one of the celebrity chairs for the 2025 Met Gala. On a personal level, this showcases how Hamilton has become such an influential figure within the fashion industry; however, it also supports his advocacy work as he aims to help more up and coming black designers in the industry. This position continues to raise his profile outside of his on-track results cements his success and cultural status, elongating his career and building his legacy.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari hasn’t swerved criticism. There were murmurs around the paddock that Hamilton was only signed by Ferrari for his commercial value with doubters suggesting that at 40 years old he won’t secure another world title. There is no denying the positive financial repercussions of Hamilton’s move, with the Ferrari share price jumping 10 per cent following the announcement, amounting to nearly US$7 billion. However, Ferrari chairman, John Elkann, has forcefully kicked back on the speculation that Hamilton was given a seat as part of a marketing operation over a sporting decision. Both parties have been capable of securing world class sponsors, partnership deals and selling plenty of merchandise before they joined forces, however Hamilton’s presence at Ferrari is sure to push this to new levels and is sure to have been a consideration in the decision-making process – but is this a bad thing? From a marketing and fan point of view, it makes perfect sense and is well worth capitalising on.

Overall, it’s clear to see that Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has had a positive impact before the first race has taken place. His influence transcends what he can achieve for the team on the racetrack and the results he secures. As noted by our Drivers of Fandom study, the top reason UK motorsports fans support an athlete is due to their personality, rather than their performance or success as an athlete, and this could not be more prevalent than with Hamilton.

There is no doubt that securing an eighth world title and ending Ferrari’s silverware drought would be the cherry on top of the cake. It would truly cement Hamilton’s legacy as the greatest of all time and would be a huge success for both brands. However, from a commercial point of view the partnership is about more than this pipedream, it has seen one of the most legendary drivers move to the most legendary teams, and the is success is already evident before the season even started.

It seems the world loves Lewis in red.