Meet the only Ferrari driver who’s won with the number 44 ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 debut

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Lewis Hamilton’s iconic number 44 is just days away from appearing on a Ferrari Formula 1 car.

After his move from Mercedes, the seven-time world champion’s debut with the Maranello outfit is one of the most anticipated events in modern F1 history.

Ferrari have already planned Hamilton’s first simulator session, but speculation has been rife about when the Brit will step into one of their cars for the first time.

Hamilton is set for a test in Barcelona and could also participate in a Pirelli tyre test. His first outing is set to take place at the team’s private Fiorano Circuit, but Ferrari are worried about fan turnout at the track as they want their new signing to be focused on the task at hand.

After enduring a difficult end to his brilliant spell at Mercedes, Hamilton will be looking to win with his number 44 on a Ferrari and emulate the success of Michael Schumacher by winning a championship with F1’s most successful team.

However, the number 44 has already been triumphant on a Ferrari in F1 – and it has only happened once in the sport’s history.

Maurice Trintignant won for Ferrari with the number 44 at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix

Nowadays, drivers are free to choose their race numbers – in Hamilton’s case, 44 was the number he raced with in his karting days.

But in the 1950s, there was no system in terms of which driver got what number. Instead, race organisers would hand them out randomly using their own methods – for example alphabetically or in order of entry.

Furthermore, some races only handed out even numbers. This was the case 70 years ago at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, and the number 44 ended up on the Ferrari driven by Maurice Trintignant.

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The Frenchman had an established career in motorsport which began before F1’s inception in 1950. Trintignant joined Ferrari in 1954 having competed in every season in the pinnacle of motorsport and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his class in 1953 and the event itself in 1954.

At the Monaco Grand Prix in 1955, Trintignant would claim his maiden win in F1 by over 20 seconds, marking the first and only time a Ferrari driver won with the number 44 on their car.

The Frenchman continued to race in the sport until 1964, claiming one more victory, also at Monaco, in 1958.

Can Lewis Hamilton put his woes behind him and win with Ferrari?

Hamilton will be looking to repeat Trintignant’s feat and win with the number 44 on his Ferrari. But his final few years at Mercedes have raised concerns about whether he can find the performance with his new team.

The Brit struggled to find consistency with the Silver Arrows during the ground effect era. His wins at Silverstone and Spa in 2024 were his first since Jeddah in 2021.

Last season marked the lowest finish of Hamilton’s career with seventh. The 40-year-old was comprehensively beaten by George Russell in the teammate battle.

While Hamilton did have some moments of brilliance, they were often undone by his struggles in qualifying. He was eliminated before Q3 on six occasions and started on the front row of the grid only once all season.

Hamilton has been honest about his qualifying struggles to Frederic Vasseur as he hopes to fix the issue and have a successful stint with Ferrari.