Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes there is ‘sometimes a conflict’ between ‘who is bigger’, Lewis Hamilton or Ferrari. The seven-time world champion is one of the most famous and marketable athletes on the planet, although his new team boasts a similar cultural impact. Hamilton joined Ferrari from Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season after 12 years with Toto Wolff’s organisation.
During that period, the Brit developed his personal brand, turning himself from a young prodigy with immense talent into a seven-time world champion with celebrity friends aplenty. This was reflected during filming for the recently released F1 movie, on which Hamilton served as a producer. However, his reach extends outside of motorsport. Earlier this year, the 40-year-old was a co-chair of the Met Gala, and the Brit is currently putting together a business empire to set him up for life after racing.
“I think in Formula One, the only one above a team is Lewis Hamilton,” Steiner told the Business of Sport podcast. “His presence, his status, it’s also huge outside the sport, because that’s what it comes down to.
“You’re great within the sport, but if you become great outside of the sport, you’re greater than the team itself. It’s the same in soccer; it happens there, too. I think in Formula One, the only one who can currently claim that is Lewis.”
Asked about the difference between Hamilton and former title rival Max Verstappen, Steiner continued: “I think Max is very big in the sport, but he doesn’t have that. He doesn’t work on being somebody outside of the sport because for him, his life is racing cars.
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“While Lewis has got another thing as well, what he wants to achieve in life. I think we see it now with Lewis – Ferrari, there are two huge brands together, and it’s almost sometimes a conflict: who is bigger, Ferrari or Lewis?”
While no clash of egos has yet materialised in Maranello, Ferrari’s 2025 season has been clouded by murmurings of discontent and frustration from both Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc. As well as the dramatic performance fluctuations from the SF-25, team principal Fred Vasseur’s future has been a constant topic of speculation.
For Hamilton, though, the focus is on learning a new car, power unit and way of working. He is still waiting for his first podium with the Scuderia, but after back-to-back fourth-place finishes, the legendary Brit seems to be inching closer to his first trip to the rostrum in Ferrari red.