Sensational at 75! Will Hamilton win an 8th world title with Ferrari in its 75th year?

11 March 2025

F1 presenter Jennie Gow was at the glittering launch of the new season and spoke with Natalie Sawyer about what we can anticipate in the months to come – and of course about the great occasion at the O2 Arena in London.

“F1 75 what an event it was. F1 has never done anything like this. It was a revelation. I was doing the red carpet and speaking to drivers and team members, so I had no idea what to expect. I don't think anyone really had an idea of what to expect, and I walked into the O2 arena at exactly 8:00 when it all kicked off to see the O2 arena absolutely full, full to the brim of F1 fans excited about the start of this season. The fans were able to interact and see what their car would look like, what the drivers would look like this season, and maybe pick a new team to support.”

Tickets for the event sold out in minutes, and Jennie says this is in part due to the way the sport has been managed since it moved into the ownership of Liberty Media.

“It never promoted itself. That was one of the things. It wasn't on social media. You couldn't become an F1 fan because it was almost like a closed shop. If you knew about it, that's fine. If you didn't, it would pass you by. And sometimes we'd go to cities where the race was on and you wouldn't even know there be no promotion. And Liberty came in and have just changed the game. Not only did they do a deal with Netflix and Drive to Survive, but they also promote heavily on social media.”

There’s no shortage of hype about F1 these days – thanks in part to the success of the Netflix series. But perhaps the biggest buzz of all surrounds Sir Lewis Hamilton, whose move to Ferrari has been quite the talking point.

“It's just been massive to the point where one of the tifosi, the Italian fans, actually slew down a tree so that they could get access to a better view of Lewis Hamilton at the track at Frédéric Fiorano,” Jennie says. “And it was just the hype around him. Joining Ferrari has been immense and he's come out and said he's slowly bonding with his new car, his new team, but I think there was a real sense of what can he do. And speaking to other journalists, fans, no one knows. No one knows what his potential is. He said last year he wasn't fast enough. And this is a man who has the record for the most amount of poles. He was the fastest man in F1. So it's a question of is he up to it? And it's just fascinating to see him reinvent himself be I mean he's saying he's re-energise. He's enthused about the season. And you didn't get that for the last couple of years at Mercedes.”

The battle between Hamilton and the other talented driver in the team, Charles Leclerc, will be fascinating in the coming season. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will be targeting a 5th world title. But can his car match the big hitters on the track? Jennie says that’s an open question.

“We've had testing already. So that's almost 24 hours of track time for the teams to gather information and to see exactly how their car might run this season. I said today, McLaren looked the strongest going through the numbers. Not on just one lap pace, but on actual race pace. It looked and indicated that they were starting this season as they ended it last year. But testing is so tricky to get a real gauge for, and we don't know how that Red Bull will be on track when it's in a competition form.”

Looking ahead to the first race, in Melbourne, and Jennie offers an intriguing tip: Oscar Piastri.

“An interesting fact is that no one has ever won their home Grand Prix in Australia, so no Australian has ever stood on the top step. And it's so weird because this, the opener of the season, is traditionally Australia. There have been some great Australians to drive, but no one has ever managed to do it. And the thought that, I mean, a man who's grown up very near the circuit, 23 year old, the thought that he could achieve this and he really could, it's so exciting. I keep saying exciting, but there are there aren't that many superlatives to give to F1 other than how exciting it's going to be. And I spoke to him at the end of last season and I said to him, it must be so exciting: constructors champion for the first time since 98. And he just looked at me and said, it'll be even more exciting next year when I win the actual drivers champion. And I mean, he's got it. He's put it out there. So let's see what happens. But I think Piastri standing on the top step in Melbourne with his mum just underneath taking a selfie of him. I think that possible. Even highly possible.”

The F1 season is a marathon, not a sprint, of course, and history remembers world champions rather than race champions. So, what are Jennie’s tips for the championships?

“It's really, really tough… Let's go with Ferrari winning the constructors championship. And if they're winning the constructors, they'll probably have done well enough with both drivers for both drivers to challenge for the championship. In the drivers… let's go with Hamilton just to be romantic about things. I mean, could he do it? There's still a chance for him to win his eighth world title. Can he do that this year? Maybe. Just maybe.”

And that despite McLaren’s speed in early testing, Jennie’s belief in Leclerc’s potential, and the time it could take for Hamilton to get used to his new car! It could be a real red letter year for the British driver!