Ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya t♌hinks that “nobody can beat” Lewis Hamilton ifꦬ Ferrari give him a “fast car” in 2025, dismissing suggestions that he’s lost any of his inherent raw speed.

Last season was difficult for Hamilton 𒊎as he🌱 bowed out of Mercedes after 12 years.

However, the smile is back on Hamil🧸ton’s face after a busy firs🐟t week at Maranello.

Hamilton met all his new mechanics and engineers in Italy before taking to the tr🐻ack for the f🃏irst time in the 2023 Ferrari.

The seven-time worldꦛ champion is expected to be in action again later this week in Barc🌳elona as Ferrari prepare for pre-season testing in Bahrain.

While Ferrari are expected to be near the front once again, the꧂re are still question🦂 marks over Hamilton’s level of performance.

He only managed to out-qualify teammate George Russell five times last yeꦇar, and often struggled with his one-lap pace.

“What happene🥀d to Lewis Hamilton is what happened to Fernando Alo𓂃nso,” he said.

“They st♓ill have 100 per cent of their speed, but they will still somehow qualify just in the top 10. If the car is capable of winning, then they would be much higher.

“If Hamilton has a fast car this season, we’ll see the old Hamilton from a few years ago, the Hamilton that nobody can ღbeat, not even Max Verstappen. But the question for Ferrari is how will they keep him motivated?”

One eye on F1’s 2026 rules

One crucial factor in 2025 will be ♊teams balancing their efforts this year versus next year.

2026 will see entirely new power unit and chassis rules int💖roduced.

Red Bull bജoss Christian Horner🅰 has described the rule changes as the biggest in the sport’s history.

As a resul🍃t, some teams may abandon their hope📖s in 2025 to entirely focus on next year.

Ferrari and McLaren will likely go all-out in 2025, given how🔯 strong they were last season.

Aston Martin an♈d Mercedes might have a better chance of becoming a title ෴contender in 2026.

Montoya added: “Ferrari are putting all their eggs in the basket so they can compete this season, Mercedes don’t have to risk much, McLaren have a huge opportunity to keep dominating before the 2026 regulation changes, where they could become a𓆉verage.”