F1 world champions who possess never driven for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton alarmed the F1 world by asserting a swap from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 season earlier than the 2024 marketing campaign had even begun.

It methodology the seven-time world champion will add to the prolonged checklist of F1 legends to possess driven within the prolonged-lasting Ferrari red as half of 1 of the greatest driver transfers within the history of the series.  

Hamilton acknowledged he has fulfilled a childhood dream of driving for Ferrari and to a pair there would were one thing missing from the 39-year-traditional’s CV if he had never made that swap.  

Utilizing for Ferrari is a dream nearly all drivers possess and some, like Michael Schumacher, possess left world championship machinery to hold it happen. Hamilton’s cross also methodology that, at the time of writing, every driver with four or more F1 championships can possess driven for Ferrari during their occupation.  

But there are aloof some three-time world champions to possess never competed for the Scuderia – so who are the 5 most a hit drivers to never hold the swap?

Jack Brabham

Ferrari used to be never genuinely a risk for Brabham, who made his debut at the 1955 British GP with Cooper. It used to be the the same crew that Brabham clinched his maiden world championship with in 1959 earlier than going abet-to-abet in 1960.  

On the other hand, 1960 used to be also the year Ferrari tried to open negotiations with Brabham on the other hand it failed miserably.   

Brabham told F1 Racing journal: “I loved beating Ferrari, beautiful loved it. It used to be the best likely satisfaction. In 1960 they invited me to scheme abet to Italy and meet Enzo and discuss driving for him, and I never went. I wasn’t though-provoking. I used to be only attracted to beating them, no longer joining them. It’s a form of things.”  

Jack Brabham, Brabham

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Brabham aloof adopted within the footsteps of Enzo, even though, by creating an F1 constructor in his hold title. The Brabham crew made its debut in 1962 and it used to be the outfit Jack clinched his third championship with in 1966, where he done earlier than John Surtees, who started the year at Ferrari earlier than going to Cooper.  

The Australian retired at the cease of 1970, while his crew persisted except 1992, having won three additional drivers’ championships in 1967, 1981 and 1983.  

Jackie Stewart

Stewart made his F1 debut in 1965 with BRM, where he claimed a pair of slither wins in his first two seasons. But a disastrous 1967 marketing campaign where Stewart retired from 9 of 11 grands prix ended in a gathering between him and Ferrari for 1968.  

Now not like Senna and so a lot of other F1 greats, the lure of Ferrari used to be no longer so solid for Stewart. Whereas he used to be impressed by the facilities, Stewart used to be alarmed to learn that Jacky Ickx had also been approached, which straight made the Scot mediate that Ferrari used to be no longer the best likely cross.  

Jackie Stewart, Tyrrell

Photo by: David Phipps

On the other hand, Stewart used to be never sold on the Scuderia to open with, announcing “I used to be already unnerved about Ferrari, I knew of their recognition and history with drivers”. As an different, Stewart joined forces with Ken Tyrrell whom he raced below for six seasons except retiring at the cease of 1973.  

It proved to be the beautiful cross for Stewart as nicely. Stewart and Tyrrell won three world championships and 25 grands prix collectively (in Matra, March and Tyrrell chassis), while all over that time Ferrari claimed beautiful eight slither wins – six of which went to Ickx.   

Nelson Piquet

It’s no longer nicely identified if Piquet used to be ever terminate to joining Ferrari, on the other hand it would were exhausting to mark him given his solid hyperlinks to Brabham.

Piquet won two championships over a seven-year spell with the crew and it required Williams to give a contract approximately three instances the value of his Brabham one to prize Piquet away.  

Nelson Piquet, Brabham BT49C Ford, Bernie Ecclestone and Gordon Murray

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Piquet spent two years at Williams and won the 1987 championship nonetheless, halfway through that year, he announced that he used to be inform to affix Lotus for 1988. 

It’s no longer going that Ferrari would possess tried to beat Lotus to his signature as a result of it retained its driver line-up of Berger and Michele Alboreto from 1987, while 1988 also saw Piquet criticise the Scuderia announcing it might perhaps well perchance perhaps also compose larger if crew founder Enzo Ferrari, then 90, used to be great younger.  

The triple world champion did now not ranking a victory in his two years at Lotus, which tarnished Piquet’s recognition, nonetheless he then scored three wins for Benetton across 1990-91 earlier than retiring. 

Ayrton Senna

The one ingredient missing from Senna’s occupation used to be a stint with Ferrari, but it wasn’t for an absence of attempting!

Senna drove his rookie season with Toleman in 1984 earlier than spending three years at Lotus earlier than a mega cross to McLaren for the 1988 season.   

Senna won the sphere championship in his first year at McLaren, which also saw him ignite a legendary contention with crew-mate Alain Prost because the 2 went head-to-head for the 1988 and 1989 titles. Prost moved to Ferrari for 1990 while Senna stayed put, but the Brazilian obtained the larger deal, winning the 1990 and 1991 championships with McLaren.  

He stayed at McLaren for one more two years, nonetheless all over his time with the British marque there used to be great flirtation between Senna and Ferrari – on the other hand, no deal is also reached.

Doubtlessly the major talks came in a prolonged meeting between Senna and Ferrari’s then carrying director Jean Todt at the 1993 Italian GP.  

Ayrton Senna, McLaren, Alain Prost, Ferrari

Photo by: Sutton Images

Senna used to be acknowledged to be desperate for that Ferrari cross, but Todt told him it already had Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger below contract for 1994. Senna joined Williams nonetheless talks between him and Ferrari persisted.  

Factual four days earlier than the 1994 San Marino GP each and every parties talked and it seemed likely that a future agreement is also reached, nonetheless Imola tragically proved fatal for Senna following his atomize at Tamburello.

Max Verstappen

On the age of 26, Verstappen aloof perchance has a prolonged occupation ahead, which leaves the chance of him to cross to Ferrari, nonetheless currently he has no reason to head away Red Bull Racing.  

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Red Bull signed a 16-year-traditional Verstappen as a junior driver in 2014 earlier than giving him his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015. In doing so, he turned into F1’s youngest ever driver (17y 166d) and the following year Verstappen also turned into its youngest winner (18y 228d) when he won on his Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Gargantuan Prix.    

Since then, Verstappen has change into one of F1’s all-time greats, clinching three world championships and atmosphere many records alongside the model, including most victories in a season (19 in 2023) and intensely best parts tally in a year (575 in 2023).   

Verstappen has never genuinely scheme terminate to joining Ferrari to this level. The Scuderia did now not device him all over his junior days, while Max’s father, Jos, as soon as published that Ferrari confirmed preliminary passion after his rookie season nonetheless talks never took inform.

It also seems no longer going to happen in some unspecified time in the future. Verstappen is currently decreased in dimension except a minimum of the cease of 2028, but the sphere champion has publicly published that he might perhaps well also scamper away F1 as soon as his deal expires.

Must he protect in F1 past 2028, then Ferrari is in most cases a risk as Verstappen only currently published he would “never say never” to the likely cross, nonetheless added “for me now, it’s no longer even in my head”.  

Most a hit F1 world champions to possess driven for Ferrari  

Despite the proven truth that some world champions possess never driven for Ferrari, there is aloof a prolonged checklist of F1 greats that possess. But some listed below made the jump already as world champion and it backfired, which is one thing Hamilton might perhaps be fervent to protect a ways from.

Michael Schumacher

Schumacher left world champion Benetton for a struggling Ferrari crew that had won beautiful two grands prix in 5 seasons amid a 13-year championship drought. But it undoubtedly used to be the romance of Ferrari and the peril of returning it to its past glory that enticed Schumacher.  

Certain, he might perhaps well possess gone in other areas: Williams would possess supplied instantaneous titles, Mercedes, who he drove for as a junior, used to be making a winning partnership with McLaren, nonetheless Ferrari used to be the likelihood to invent an iconic legacy.  

On the other hand, it used to be clearly one thing that will perhaps make a selection time: Schumacher done 38 parts slack 1996 champion Damon Hill in his first Ferrari season earlier than missing out in 1997, 1998 and 1999.  

At some level of that time even though, Schumacher and Todt had been laying the foundations for one thing particular with the engineering masterminds of Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, so scheme 2000 Ferrari used to be at final a clinical machine that won over and over.   

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2004, celebrates victory as he crosses the enact line and takes the chequered flag, to the satisfaction of the crew who wave Italian flags.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Schumacher claimed 5 consecutive championships from 2000 to 2004, which methodology the volatile cross on his behalf paid off.  

No Ferrari driver has but been ready to replicate Schumacher’s achievements at the Scuderia.    

Juan Manuel Fangio

In the principle 5 years of F1, Juan Manuel Fangio made a behavior of being Ferrari’s greatest rival as he won three world championships at Alfa Romeo, Maserati and then Mercedes.

But scheme the cease of 1955, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes had each and every withdrawn from F1, while Maserati used to be no longer so competitive which methodology Fangio and Ferrari begrudgingly teamed up for 1956.  

It used to be easy: the best likely driver compulsory the best likely automobile, which Ferrari now had as a result of inheriting Lancia’s outstanding D50, and vice-versa, despite the cool relationship that had developed between Fangio and Ferrari over years of competing in opposition to every other.   

Juan Manuel Fangio, Ferrari D50

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The connection remained subtle all over their time collectively: Fangio anticipated to be the crew’s quantity 1 driver, nonetheless that will perhaps possess broken Ferrari custom of how it’s continuously relating to the crew – plus, from the starting Enzo used to be never chuffed about Fangio’s monetary requires.   

In spite of this, Fangio beat Maserati’s Stirling Moss to the 1956 championship on the final day to hold his partnership with Ferrari a a hit one. But, it only lasted one year as a result of Ferrari used to be no longer willing to pay for Fangio again, so the Argentinian returned to Maserati for 1957 where he won his fifth and final title.

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel grew up idolising Schumacher, which is why – even all over his championship-winning years at Red Bull – the lure of Ferrari used to be regularly slack the German’s mind.   

But it undoubtedly used to be about making the cross at the best likely time. That came at the cease of 2014 following a winless marketing campaign for Vettel, whose championship-winning trail used to be ended by Hamilton within the principle year of turbo-hybrid regulations.   

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF15-T

Photo by: Motorsport Images

So Vettel used to be in red for 2015 and there were also some similarities between his and Schumacher’s cross to the Scuderia: a loads of world champion going to Ferrari, who used to be within the course of an advanced slither shining it’ll make a selection loads of years to device to the front.  

That’s also how it more or much less performed out for Vettel’s Ferrari occupation as a result of Mercedes used to be a ways too dominant within the principle two seasons, nonetheless a title peril used to be on for 2017. Vettel started the year strongly and led the championship after halfway, nonetheless Mercedes bounced abet winning six of the final 10 grands prix to clinch each and every championships.   

A identical scenario took inform in 2018, nonetheless this time Vettel used to be the architect of his hold downfall by crashing into the barrier while main a wet German GP.

It proved to be Vettel’s final opportunity to care for Ferrari a championship, because it regressed in 2019 while new signing Charles Leclerc emerged because the crew’s future, causing Vettel to head away at the cease of 2020.  

Alain Prost

Prost used to be one more world champion who beautiful couldn’t rather hold it work with Ferrari.

He joined for the 1990 season because it had all gone toxic with Senna at McLaren. His cross to Ferrari supposed that Prost turned into the principle driver signed by the Prancing Horse since Enzo’s death in 1988.  

But at Ferrari Prost experienced one more fractious relationship with a crew-mate, this time Nigel Mansell. Prost performed on the truth that he used to be the reigning world champion to articulate authority throughout the crew and at the 1990 British GP, as an illustration, he secretly ordered Ferrari mechanics to swap his and Mansell’s automobile after the Briton had secured pole plan.   

The reference to Prost used to be one of many components that ended in Mansell leaving Ferrari at the cease of 1990. In the intervening time, the Frenchman’s title defence ended controversially as he used to be hit by Senna at Turn 1 at Suzuka, which precipitated each and every autos to retire and gave the McLaren driver his second world championship.  

Crawl winner Alain Prost, Ferrari 641/2

Photo by: Sutton Images

Prost then didn’t even enact 1991 with Ferrari. Ferrari had built an attractive uncompetitive automobile and Prost used to be most continuously over a second off pole, while early on it turned into obvious that Senna used to be a triple world champion in waiting.   

It precipitated Prost to publicly criticise Ferrari, declaring its automobile “used to be like a unsuitable truck to pressure,” which resulted in him being sacked with a slither to spare.   

Niki Lauda

Lauda is arguably Ferrari’s most a hit driver after Schumacher as he won two world championships with the Scuderia. But, now not like the names above, Lauda joined Ferrari as a recent face in F1 with beautiful one parts enact in his two-year occupation to this level.   

What helped him is that Ferrari used to be going through a rebuild at the time following a disappointing 1973 season where it done sixth within the championship. So, it first signed Clay Regazzoni nonetheless then he spoke very extremely of his ex-BRM crew-mate, causing Ferrari to snap up Lauda for 1974 as nicely.  

Niki Lauda, Ferrari 312T

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

And it used to be a risk that paid off. Lauda straight turned into a frontrunner by winning two grands prix in his first season with Ferrari earlier than clinching two of the following three championships. He would virtually completely possess won a Third had it no longer been for his horrific 1976 atomize at the Nurburgring that virtually killed him. 

The Austrian wasn’t best likely happy with the model Ferrari dealt alongside with his comeback nonetheless aloof confirmed his class by taking the 1977 title earlier than heading to Brabham.