Ranking every British F1 driver to race for Ferrari ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 move

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Lewis Hamilton’s debut for Ferrari is edging closer in what will be one of the most historic days in Formula 1.

The seven-time champion has joined the sport’s most successful team after an incredible 12-year stint at Mercedes. Hamilton won six titles with the Silver Arrows between 2014-2020 and is statistically the greatest F1 driver of all time.

Hamilton has signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari in what will likely be his last move in F1. The 40-year-old is searching for his eighth title with the famous red team.

The Brit will be looking to emulate the success of Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and win with his iconic number 44 on the red car. Only Maurice Trintignant has won for Ferrari with the number 44, and Hamilton is keen to become the second.

By joining Ferrari, Hamilton becomes the 12th British driver to race for the Maranello outfit and the first full-time driver since 1999.

But how did his predecessors fare over the years? Here is every British Ferrari driver ranked ahead of Hamilton’s debut.

11. Derek Bell

Derek Bell enjoyed a long career in motorsport, but he only got two appearances with Ferrari in F1 in 1968.

The Brit competed at Monza and Watkins Glen that year but he retired from both races. Bell went on to make one appearance for McLaren in 1969 – where he again retired – before making sporadic appearances in F1 until his retirement in 1974.

10. Jonathan Williams

Like Bell, Jonathan Williams’ spell with Ferrari was short. In fact, it was so short that he made his only appearance in F1 with the Maranello outfit.

Williams took part in the 1967 Mexican Grand Prix and finished the race eighth. After that, he left F1 and went on to compete in the European Formula 2 Championship.

9. Oliver Bearman

The youngest and most recent British Ferrari driver on this list, Oliver Bearman was afforded his debut in F1 at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz withdrew from the race with appendicitis.

Having secured pole position in F2 the day before, the 18-year-old was thrusted into the SF-24 for FP3 before qualifying an impressive 11th, narrowly missing out on Q3.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Bearman finished the race seventh to score six points, finishing ahead of the likes of Lando Norris and Hamilton. Given the limited amount of time he had to prepare for the race, his performance certainly goes down as one of the most impressive in 2024.

The Brit will race full-time in F1 in 2025 with Haas. But it is ‘only a matter of time’ before Bearman joins Ferrari as a full-time driver.

8. Cliff Allison

Heading back to the 1950s and 1960s, Cliff Allison joined Ferrari in 1959 after spending the majority of the previous year with Lotus. The Brit scored two points with the Maranello team in his first season with fifth at Monza.

Allison secured his best result with Ferrari in Argentina with second place, but he suffered a huge accident at the next round in Monaco. Bizarrely, the Brit woke up in hospital after the crash speaking French – but he had never learned the language.

It took almost the rest of the year for Allison to recover from his injuries. He returned to F1 in 1961 but his career was ended for good after suffering serious injuries in a crash in Belgium.

7. Mike Parkes

Joining Ferrari in 1966, Mike Parkes grabbed two podium finishes with the team that year, finishing second at Reims and Monza.

The Brit won two races with the team in 1967 but they were in non-championship rounds at the BRDC International Trophy and Syracuse. His F1 career ended after an accident at Belgium that year and he went on to become an engineer for Ferrari.

6. Tony Brooks

Tony Brooks had established himself as one of F1’s top talent in the late 1950s with Vanwall, winning four races. He joined Ferrari in 1959 and immediately sought to win the championship.

Winning two races at Reims and AVUS in Berlin, Brooks was battling Jack Brabham for the title. At the final round at Sebring, the Brit collided with Wolfgang von Trips and came to the pits for repairs – but unbeknownst to him, he did not need to.

Brooks finished the race third, narrowly missing out to Brabham for the title by four points. He would not win another race in F1 as he left the sport in 1961.

5. Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell is widely regarded as one of Britain’s best F1 talents, winning the 1992 championship with Williams.

Mansell also won two BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards as he established himself as a fierce competitor. But before his victory with Williams, he had a rather disappointing spell with Ferrari.

Joining the team from Williams in 1989, Mansell partnered with Gerhard Berger and the duo struggled with unreliable machinery. The former won on his debut with Ferrari in Brazil but suffered seven retirements and two disqualifications.

In 1990, Mansell was outclassed by teammate Alain Prost as he again was plagued with an unreliable car. In total, the Brit won three races and grabbed 11 podiums before moving back to Williams.

4. Peter Collins

Peter Collins joined Ferrari in 1956 and earned Enzo Ferrari’s respect in his debut season as he helped Juan Manuel Fangio win the championship.

Back then, it was common for drivers to step into another driver’s car if they damaged theirs. When Fangio crashed in the final round at Monza, Collins gave up his car to the Argentine who went on to finish second and win the championship.

The Brit won two races that in France and Belgim and finished third in the standings. His third and final win for Ferrari came at Silverstone in 1958 before he tragically lost his life at the next race at the Nurburgring.

3. Eddie Irvine

After spending his first three years in F1 with Jordan, Eddie Irvine joined Ferrari in 1996 and served as Michael Schumacher’s number two for four years.

Suffering 10 retirements in his first season with the Maranello outfit – eight of which being in consecutive races – Irvine began to grab regular podiums from 1997 onwards.

In 1999, he became Ferrari’s main driver after Schumacher broke his leg at Silverstone. Irvine battled Mika Hakkinen for the title, winning four races in the process, but he narrowly missed out on the championship by two points.

The Northern Irish driver finished his F1 career with Jaguar. Irvine is the last British full-time Ferrari driver, with Hamilton set to become the next after 26 years.

2. John Surtees

The final two drivers on this list both championships with Ferrari, with John Surtees being the latest.

The Brit joined the Maranello squad in 1963 and won his first race that year at the Nurburgring. The following year, Surtees won two races and grabbed six podiums to beat fellow compatriot Graham Hill to the title by just one point.

He left Ferrari after two races in 1966 for Cooper after falling out with the team. Surtees carried on his F1 until the mid-1970s and went on to step up his own team.

1. Mike Hawthorn

Before Surtees’ triumph, Mike Hawthorn became the first British Ferrari driver – and in fact the first British driver in F1 history – to win the world championship in 1958.

Hawthorn joined Ferrari in 1953, finishing third in the standings the following year. Leaving the team after the 1955 season, he returned in 1957 intending to become champion.

The Brit fought Stirling Moss for the championship in 1958. While his rival won four races, Hawthorn’s consistency won out as he grabbed one win and seven podiums to win the title by one point.

After winning the title, Hawthorn retired from F1 and tragically lost his life in a road accident just three months later.