Hamilton at 40: Ferrari move is bold final gamble

Today is a milestone birthday for a driver facing a big year as he pursues an eighth title with F1's most glamorous team

- Richard Williams

As he turns 40 today, Lewis Hamilton is hearing plenty of voices scornful of his decision, announced almost a year ago, to leave Mercedes, his home for more than a decade, and join Ferrari for the 2025 season. For a man whose record of seven F1 world titles is matched only by Michael Schumacher, and whose total of 105 grand prix wins is unequalled, he will step into one of the red cars for the first time knowing that he has everything to prove - and not just to the Italian team's global army of supporters.

Obstacles and challenges are nothing new to Hamilton, who has been listening to criticism from the day he first ventured into a historically all-white sport, a mixed-race child whose father worked three and sometimes four jobs at a time to pay for his kart racing.

From his cutting-edge wardrobe and his friendships with rappers to his use of a private jet and his decision to live in Monaco rather than Stevenage, Hamilton's activities have provoked those nursing a barely concealed resentment of his presence in the world of grand prix racing, attracting more publicity than his work for charities including Unicef and Save the Children and his success in persuading Mercedes to replace their traditional silver bodywork, which goes back to the 1930s, with a new livery acknowledging the Black Lives Matter movement.

The current chorus of scepticism, however, is directed at his activities on the track. As the F1 championship prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, Hamilton's new alliance with the sole surviving team from F1's inaugural year is given an extra significance and is likely to provide a major talking point throughout the 24-race series, which starts with the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.