Nigel Mansell highlights primary challenge Lewis Hamilton may encounter at Ferrari. Nigel Mansell on challenge Lewis Hamilton may encounter at Ferrari.

Nigel Mansell emphasizes that age won’t determine whether Lewis Hamilton secures a title with Scuderia Ferrari. Notably, Mansell himself clinched the 1992 title with Williams at the age of 39.

In the upcoming season, Lewis Hamilton will sport the red colors as he exercises his option to depart from Mercedes, one year into his current two-year contract. The seven-time World Champion has opted for a multi-year deal with Ferrari, fulfilling a “childhood dream.”

Despite turning 40 before hitting the track in the 2025 Ferrari F1 car, former team owner Giancarlo Minardi questions the signing, suggesting Ferrari should have opted for “young talent” instead of a “40-year-old champion.”

Contrary to this view, Nigel Mansell disagrees, drawing from his own experience as he won the 1992 World title at the age of 39. He dismisses concerns about Hamilton’s age, stating, “People are saying Lewis is now too old at 39? No. I won my championship at 39, and I could have gone on, but the politics got involved. But Lewis, if he’s motivated, has several, if not many more years left. I think it’s just fantastic.”

When Lewis Hamilton joins Scuderia Ferrari, he won’t be the oldest driver on the grid, with Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, expected to remain at the team or possibly take Hamilton’s Mercedes seat, turning 43 this July. Fernando Alonso, along with other drivers like Carlos Sainz, previously at Ferrari, has been linked to the vacant Mercedes drive.