How Lewis Hamilton’s mid season results compare to other world champions at Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton has joined the small list of former world champions to join Ferrari in a bid to reignite their winning streaks. Here’s how the Brit’s results at the summer break compared to those who came before him.

Hamilton has sparked concern over his future in Formula 1 after post-qualifying interviews at the Hungarian Grand Prix saw the Brit call himself ‘useless’ before suggesting that Ferrari should replace him.

Team principal Fred Vasseur disagreed with Hamilton’s comments following the session, blaming the Q2 exit on the car’s tyres, not the driver.

The seven-time world champion joined the Italian outfit at the start of the 2025 season after 12 years with Mercedes. For the first time in his career, Hamilton is driving a car that isn’t powered by a Mercedes engine, and has struggled to progress during the year.

Things looked up for Hamilton early into the season, claiming both pole and the victory during the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, he is yet to score a feature race podium this year.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari stats compared to his teammate and former champions who joined the team

Hamilton made his debut with Ferrari at the start of 2025 and has completed 14 races with the team. Heading into the summer break Hamilton is sixth in the constructors’ championship, just one place behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

The British driver has the lowest championship standing result of any drivers’ champion during their maiden Ferrari season, although many believe this is a result of issues with the car and not Hamilton.

Speaking on The Fast and Curious Podcast, pundit Alex Jacques said Hamilton’s driving style “has not twinned with this set of regulations”, adding that the driver will be “desperate” to see if he will improve with the 2026 regulations

Hamilton joins five other world champions who have joined Ferrari after taking their titles with other teams. The Italian squad have not had a drivers’ championship victory since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and have failed to take another title, despite hiring three former champions.

Charles Leclerc makes his Ferrari debut in 201

Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019, replacing outgoing Raikkonen, who had taken his one and only drivers’ championship victory with the Italian team in 2007. He joined the team after just one year competing with Alfa Romeo where he’d finished 13th with 10 points finishes.

His debut with the iconic outfit had garnered strong results, with point finishes in every grand prix bar two, the Monaco and German races, where he’d been forced to retire.

At the summer break of the 2019 season, team principal Mattia Binotto told the BBC that the team were “very happy” with Leclerc’s performance, adding that he was “surprisingly fast” and “working well with the engineers” during his second season in Formula 1.

Sebastian Vettel makes Ferrari debut in 2015 after six seasons at Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel was the last world champion to join Ferrari before Hamilton, choosing to move to the team in 2015. The German driver had previously spent six years with Red Bull where he’d taken all four of his world championship titles between 2010-2013.

He entered the summer break of the 2015 season sitting in third place in the championship, behind both Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, respectively.

Ferrari had not seen a race win since Fernando Alonso raced for the team in 2013, but Vettel proved his skills by the second race of the year, when he stood on the top step on the podium in Malaysia.

Fernando Alonso becomes first drivers’ champion to join Ferrari since 1996

Fernando Alonso joined Ferrari in 2010 after a difficult couple of years racing. The Spaniard had taken two world championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before spending one year at McLaren, where he finished 3rd.

After returning to Renault for the next two seasons, he remained winless in 2009, finishing the year in 9th place. In what was described as ‘Formula 1’s worst-kept secret’, it was revealed that the signing, which was initially expected for 2011, would be brought forward a year.

Alonso got off to a strong start with Ferrari in 2010, taking two wins in Bahrain and Germany, and a further three podiums before the summer break.

1995 reigning world champion jumps ship at Benetton for Ferrari

Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996, following back-to-back drivers’ championship victories in the two years prior. Flavio Briatore, who had been instrumental in poaching the German from Jordan, said he was “not surprised” when Schumacher signed for the team.

Schumacher faced mixed results in the first half of his maiden season with the Ferrari, but managed to take four podiums, despite 5 retirements and one non-start. He is the only world champion besides Juan Manuel Fangio to take both pole and a win during the first half of their maiden Ferrari season.

Alain Prost joins Ferrari in bid to challenge former McLaren teammate

A dramatic end to the 1989, saw Ayrton Senna almost clinch the championship title from McLaren teammate Alain Prost, after the pair crashed on the closing laps of the Japanese Grand Prix. Senna, who finished the race took the championship before being disqualified for the collision, handing the title back to Prost.

The following year the Frenchman signed with Ferrari to work with McLaren’s former designer John Barnard. After three world championship wins with McLaren, Prost started his Ferrari career with an impressive performance, taking four wins in the first half of the season.

Juan Manuel Fangio finds seat with Ferrari after Mercedes withdraw from the 1956 championship

Juan Manuel Fangio was set to compete with Mercedes for a third season in 1956, but after a horrific accident at the 1955 Le Mans, the team decided to withdraw from the following year’s championship.

The then three-time world champion saw success with the Ferrari team, who had just acquired Lancia and opted to sign with the team for 1956. This was a decision that paid off for the Argentinian, as he became the first world champion to join Ferrari and take another championship victory.

At the halfway mark of a short, eight race season, Fangio had already won the first race of the season at his home Grand Prix, and had finished second in Monaco.