‘Fingers crossed,’ Sebastian Vettel gives full support to Lewis Hamilton over ending Ferrari title drought

Sebastian Vettel remains highly optimistic about Lewis Hamilton's chances of succeeding in championship contention with Ferrari.

‘Fingers crossed,’ Sebastian Vettel gives full support to Lewis Hamilton over ending Ferrari title drought

Sebastian Vettel (via IMAGO), Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton has deemed a great start to his debut season with Ferrari. The Briton achieved a coveted sprint race win at the Chinese GP. However, the Briton also suffered multiple disappointing situations already as he faced a disqualification from the Chinese GP following a breach of the maximum allowed plank wear. Due to this, Hamilton is currently P9 in the drivers’ standing, way behind the leading pack. Still, ex-Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel issues heartfelt support towards the 40-year-old becoming victorious with the Scuderia.

Sebastian Vettel himself was in the shoes of Lewis Hamilton following his move to the Italian constructor in 2015. The German driver was fresh off his dominant winning streak at Red Bull from 2010 to 2014 before joining Ferrari. As such, Vettel had great hopes laid on him to take the Scuderia back to their glory days in Formula 1, something he couldn’t quite achieve.

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Vettel recalled that his Ferrari stint didn’t work out in the end as Lewis Hamilton remained his prime competitor back then. Hence, the German now awaited to see how the 40-year-old performed at Ferrari in his final years. The 37-year-old still remained optimistic about Hamilton’s chances to succeed with the Reds and claimed that his fingers were crossed for the latter. This meant that the seven-time champion had even more hopes banked on him by the four-time world champion.

For me it didn’t quite work because Lewis was there so let’s see now how he will get on, But, yeah, my fingers [are] crossed,

Sebastian Vettel said on the BBC Sounds interview

Sebastian Vettel labels Lewis Hamilton as the ‘most outspoken’ driver on the F1 grid

Lewis Hamilton remains one of the most influential personalities on the F1 grid, more so with his move to Ferrari. Even Sebastien Vettel remained appreciative of Hamilton’s legacy in Formula 1 and revealed his great relations with the latter. The Briton has received massive support from a majority if not the entirety of the paddock in his move to the Italian constructor. Hence, the 40-year-old must come up with great results now and emerge victorious.

Lewis Hamilton (via AP)
Lewis Hamilton (via AP)

Vettel furthered his compliments and labeled Hamilton as the most outspoken driver on the grid. The German revealed that despite racing him for such a long time, he remained great friends with the latter. Moreover, the 37-year-old highlighted that the Briton’s on-track skills were extremely commendable and need not be proved to everyone on the grid.

I obviously raced him a long time, we get along really well, and he’s by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute, his on-track skills don’t need to be repeated.

Sebastian Vettel noted

Sebastian Vettel claims ‘great to see’ Lewis Hamilton racing at 40 years of age

Lewis Hamilton is over 40 years old and still took a daring leap to Ferrari for at least two more years. A majority of the people believed Hamilton to be out of his prime due to his age. However, Sebastian Vettel refused to rule out the Briton’s chances with the Italian constructor solely due to his age being a problem. Vettel who called it quits early now backed up the seven-time champion to keep racing in Formula 1 despite being older than almost all drivers on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via Getty)
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via Getty)

Vettel pointed out that the ‘numbers’ spoke for themselves, hinting at Hamilton’s continued streak of impressive performances. The German highlighted that it was great to witness the 40-year-old continue racing at the pinnacle of motorsport and remain an influential person on the grid. Finally, the 37-year-old concluded by complimenting the Briton’s great influence on the sport which he used positively and called the sport for multiple necessary changes. The four-time champion reiterated that he had his fingers crossed that the veteran would win a championship with Ferrari.

I think the numbers, statistics speak for themselves but it’s great to see he’s still on the grid and still has that influence and he uses it in a positive manner, So naturally my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship.

Sebastian Vettel explained

Ferrari will still have to work hard on their pace in the 2025 season to maximize Hamilton’s winning chances. The Briton has scored decent results despite facing some dire conditions with the team. Now, time will tell about how the 40-year-old stands out over the massive hopes banked on him for championship contention. As things currently are, the seven-time champion would face massive struggles in his championship ambitions this year.