David Croft, the voice of Sky Sports F1, believes that Ferrari’s hunger for success in 2025 won’t just be about breaking their 16-year title drought—it will be about proving that signing Lewis Hamilton was the right move.
The seven-time world champion is stepping into one of the biggest challenges of his career, leaving behind Mercedes after a turbulent three-year slump. But as Hamilton prepares for his first season in red, Croft insists that 2025 represents his best shot at an eighth title—and possibly his last.
“This might be Lewis’ best chance of an eighth World title,” Croft said at the Autosport Awards.
“Given the season that it could be in terms of teams won’t be throwing developments week after week after week because they’ve got 2026 to think about.”
Ferrari, as Croft points out, might have the strongest motivation of all the front-runners to go all-in on 2025. With Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes balancing short-term gains with long-term 2026 development, Ferrari sees this season as their best shot to reclaim F1 supremacy.
Will Ferrari Go All-In On 2025 To Validate The Hamilton Signing?
Ferrari’s decision to bring in Hamilton was a move years in the making. But if they can’t deliver a car capable of challenging for the title, questions will inevitably rise over whether signing Hamilton instead of betting fully on Charles Leclerc was the right call.
Croft believes Ferrari is determined to answer those doubts with results on track:
“I do think Ferrari will be the most keen to get the most out of 2025 of the big four teams because it’s so long since they won something.”
“And they want to prove that Lewis is the right man—and Charles [Leclerc] as well.”
Ferrari’s last Drivers’ Championship came in 2007 with Kimi Räikkönen. Since then, they’ve been agonizingly close—with Fernando Alonso (2010, 2012) and Sebastian Vettel (2017, 2018) both finishing runner-up to Red Bull. Now, with Hamilton and Leclerc forming a superstar pairing, expectations have never been higher.
Horner Calls Hamilton’s Move “Box Office”
One person not underestimating the move is Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who thinks Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is exactly what Formula 1 needed.
“I think it’s great for Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari, that really is box office.”
Horner, however, remains cautious about Ferrari’s ability to actually deliver a championship-winning car. The RB21 Red Bull, driven by Max Verstappen, remains the benchmark, and Horner is expecting a four-team battle for the crown.
“You’re going to have four teams that are going to be very competitive. I think it’s going to be super tight and take your pick.”
“McLaren are going to be strong, Ferrari are going to be strong, Mercedes are going to have something to prove as well, so it could be a stellar year.”
A One-Year Championship Window Before 2026 Changes Everything
What makes 2025 such a critical season is that it’s essentially a transitional year before the massive 2026 regulation overhaul. With teams already shifting focus toward the future, Ferrari is uniquely positioned to go all-in for one big championship push before everything resets.
For Hamilton, this could be his last, best shot at the elusive eighth world title—one that slipped away in 2021.
For Ferrari, this is a legacy-defining moment—one that could either validate their bold signing or add another chapter to their agonizing near-misses.
So the question remains: Can Ferrari deliver when it matters most?