The sole Ferrari F1 driver to secure a race victory with #44 ahead of Lewis Hamilton's debut
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Lewis Hamilton's iconic number 44 is set to make a historic appearance on a Ferrari Formula 1 car in the near future.
The seven-time world champion's long-anticipated debut with Ferrari is quickly approaching, following his high-profile switch from Mercedes. This move has generated immense excitement among Formula 1 fans, with the debut of Hamilton driving for Ferrari being one of the most eagerly awaited events in modern F1 history. Although Ferrari have already scheduled Hamilton's first simulator session, speculation about when he will first take the wheel of a Ferrari car has been rampant.
Lewis Hamilton is expected to participate in a test at Barcelona and possibly also take part in a Pirelli tyre test. However, his first on-track session is expected to occur at Ferrari's private Fiorano Circuit. The team is keen to avoid any distractions and is concerned about the potential crowd turnout at the track, as they want their new driver to focus entirely on the task ahead.
After a challenging end to an otherwise stellar career at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is determined to achieve victory with his number 44 on a Ferrari. His ultimate goal is to replicate Michael Schumacher's legendary success with the Scuderia, aiming for a world championship with F1's most successful team.
Interestingly, the number 44 has already achieved success with Ferrari in F1 history—albeit only once, and that achievement occurred more than 60 years ago.
Maurice Trintignant won the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix with the number 44 on his Ferrari, marking the only occasion a Ferrari driver has triumphed with this number in Formula 1. At that time, drivers didn't choose their race numbers as they do today. Instead, race organizers assigned numbers randomly, often using methods like alphabetical order or race entry order. Some races even issued only even numbers, which was the case at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix. As a result, Trintignant's Ferrari bore the number 44, and he secured his first-ever F1 victory, finishing over 20 seconds ahead of his rivals.
Maurice Trintignant, who had a distinguished motorsport career before F1's official formation in 1950, had joined Ferrari in 1954. He had previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953 and triumphed in his class in 1954. Trintignant's victory at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix remains his sole F1 win with Ferrari and the number 44, although he would claim another victory in Monaco in 1958.
For Hamilton, the goal is to repeat this remarkable achievement and secure a win with Ferrari using the number 44. However, his final seasons with Mercedes raised questions about whether he can rediscover the form necessary to compete at the front of the grid with his new team.
Lewis Hamilton faced difficulties in the ground effect era, struggling with consistency and finding it hard to match the performance of his teammates. His victories at Silverstone and Spa in 2024 marked his first wins since 2021 in Jeddah. Last season was the worst of Hamilton's career, finishing in seventh place, and he was thoroughly outperformed by his teammate George Russell. While Lewis Hamilton displayed flashes of brilliance, his overall struggles in qualifying were a major issue. He failed to make it to Q3 six times during the season and only started from the front row of the grid once.
Despite these setbacks, Lewis Hamilton has been candid about his qualifying difficulties and has expressed his hope to address them with Ferrari, aiming for a successful stint with the team. The question now is whether the 40-year-old can overcome these challenges and add another championship to his already illustrious career with the number 44 on a Ferrari car.
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