The myth of Ferrari
- Maham Mir
- Sep 10
- 6 min read
Written by Maham Mir, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
There are many consistencies in the world of Formula One: a driver’s champion is crowned every season, one team will always manage to build the fastest car, the stopwatch never lies, and Ferrari is built into the DNA of the sport.
However, despite the longstanding relationship between the sport that is the pinnacle of motorsport and said sport’s most successful team, Ferrari have not won a driver’s world championship since Kimi Räikkönen in 2007. Their hunt for the constructor’s championship, although closer considering their runner-up status in 2024, has lasted even longer.
Despite the range of talented drivers who have worn the iconic red race suit, including former world champions, Ferrari have gained the unfortunate label of always falling short when it comes to bringing the glory and the trophy back to Maranello.
Despite the calibre of driver that Ferrari attracts, the Scuderia has not been kind to their drivers. Over the last fifteen years, three world champions have joined the team and in their own ways and for different reasons, these drivers have been unable to convert their former world championship status into reigning world champions while driving for the prancing horses.
In chronological order, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton have all joined Ferrari with dreams of bringing them back to the top. While Hamilton continues to write his legacy with the team, Alonso and Vettel’s time ended in disappointment with neither driver adding to their tally of championships during their time with the team.
Driving for the team between 2010 to 2014, Alonso arrived after winning two consecutive titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Sometimes regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, Alonso’s time at the team was set to look successful with early wins, including a pole position and Grand Prix victory in Italy in 2010.
His first season with the team remains his most successful with five wins and two pole positions; this success was never repeated as the team’s ability to stay ahead of the rest of the grid slowly tapered away. Ultimately, despite having a contract in place until the end of 2016, Alonso departed from Ferrari with 11 race wins and four pole positions—low numbers for a driver hoping to capitalise on his good form.
For Alonso, the team’s failure to deliver a car capable of winning a championship or even regularly being able to compete at the front of the grid was something that he could not compromise on. The lack of consistency paired with rumoured schisms with leadership at the team arguably defined Alonso’s perception of the myth of Ferrari.
Replacing Alonso to partner with Kimi Räikkönen was Sebastian Vettel, who competed for the team between 2015 and 2020. Vettel’s connection to Ferrari was a deeply personal one through Michael Schumacher, his childhood racing hero. Schumacher, who Vettel shared the grid with between 2010 to 2012, won five driver’s championships with the team to become the joint most successful driver in the history of the sport.
Vettel, who arrived at the team having won four consecutive driver’s titles with Redbull and being the youngest driver in F1 history to win a title, believed that he had what it took to succeed where Alonso had failed.
Perhaps no other Ferrari driver in recent history has experienced the ups and downs of driving for the Scuderia like Vettel. Although the partnership began well in 2015, with Vettel getting his first win in almost two years and his first pole position in almost three years, 2016 saw no wins and seven podiums. The great highs of driving for Ferrari emerged for Vettel in 2017 and 2018, his two true championship contending years.
In 2017, the German added five more wins to his overall tally, including his first win in almost 18 months in Australia and Ferrari’s first Monaco win since 2001. However, the success of 2017 was not to last; the German ultimately finished runner-up to Hamilton.
2018 began in the same way for Vettel with an opening win in Australia and more victories to follow however yet again, the ultimate prize eluded the German and the team as well. For many, his crash in Germany was a turning point for Vettel’s time in Ferrari and his career by extension.
Vettel’s self-proclaimed dream of winning in the red car was never realised; the four-time world champion failed to emulate his racing idol by winning a championship with Ferrari.
Across the first seasons he spent at the team, he won 14 races and qualified on pole 13 times; he finished runner-up in the championship to Lewis Hamilton on two occasions and third on one occasion in his first season with the team.
In 2020, it was announced that Vettel would not renew his contract. Former team principal of Ferrari, Mattia Binotto, insisted that: “This is a decision taken jointly by ourselves and Sebastian, one which both parties feel is for the best.”
Vettel’s final season was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic however when the sport returned, his final appearances for the team were not the fairytale ending that perhaps he had been hoping for.
His final season saw him achieve 33 points and only one podium—it was his lowest points tally in a full campaign in the entirety of his F1 career. For Vettel, the myth of Ferrari and their inability to take him to a fifth championship appeared slowly; the success of 2017 and 2018 seasons where he emerged as a potential championship contender to challenge Hamilton quickly transformed into devastating lows with only a single podium to show for his final season driving in red.
Most recently, it is the seven-time world champion who has fallen victim to the myth of Ferrari. On February 1, 2024, one of the most shocking headlines in recent years emerged in the world of F1: Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes and his silver arrows family to join forces with the prancing horses.
Ahead of starting his first season as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton stated that: “of course the goal is to win”. However, things have not panned out that way. In a post-qualifying interview at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton declared that: “I’m useless, absolutely useless” after an early exit while teammate Charles Leclerc took pole position.
Hamilton followed up his comment by suggesting: “The team, they have no problem – you’ve seen the car is on pole. So, they probably need to change [drivers].” These comments are a far cry from the confident driver who met with the media on his first official day as a part of the historic team.
Looking at Hamilton’s first season at the team, it would be fair to say that it has been a disappointing start. Although the team has certainly made progress since the start of the season, Hamilton’s personal highlight up until the summer break has been a Sprint race win in Shanghai; a podium in a full-length Grand Prix still eludes him as his best finish so far this season is fourth place.
Perhaps even more concerningly, Hamilton has been unable to beat teammate Charles Leclerc, who has a string of podiums including at his home race in Monaco. Hamilton’s 12 consecutive podium run at Silverstone came to an end. It is one of many disappointments from this first season of collaboration between the sport’s most decorated driver and team.
Currently sixth in the driver’s championship, it looks incredibly unlikely that he will be challenging for the title this season. With a new approach implemented by team principal Fred Vasseur in the final year of the current regulations that has proven unsuccessful, all eyes including Hamilton’s will move to the next regulation change in 2026 to see if that will bring him the success he has been searching for. Ultimately, the jury remains undecided about whether Ferrari have what it takes to bring Hamilton to his eighth world title.
Ferrari have always aspired to be the greatest in all aspects, but their ability to perfect the art of coming second has become an unfortunate inclusion in their story of F1.
The allure of the prancing horses, the chance to write yourself into the history books alongside the most successful team in F1 history, is a pull that cannot be denied. Although many have tried, and so far failed, only time will tell if Lewis Hamilton has what it takes to turn the myth of Ferrari into a reality.
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