In an interview with BBC Sounds recorded after the 2025 season opener but ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has confirmed his support for Lewis Hamilton as the Briton fights for the drivers’ championship with Ferrari this year.

Vettel, who spent six seasons with the Scuderia from 2015 to 2020, has plenty of experience behind the wheel of a Maranello machine, some of which can be imparted to his rival-turned-friend.

Joining the Italian team as a champion after a successful stint at Red Bull, the German joined Ferrari in a bid to follow in the footsteps of his idol and close friend Michael Schumacher. His time in the red car showed potential, and in 2017 and 2018, he was able to launch an attack on Lewis Hamilton’s campaign. The then-Mercedes driver won out after a couple of brilliant seasons.

Talking in 2021 at a press conference at Imola, Hamilton said, “I’ve got a really bad memory, but I’m going to go and say mine and Seb’s battles were my favourite up until now so far.”

The respect was mutual, with Vettel showing support for Hamilton in the BBC interview.

On being asked if the pressures and expectations feel different at Ferrari compared to other teams, Vettel said the following:

“Maybe it is a bit, but I think Lewis is a competitor and he has very high expectations about himself so I think he’s probably very ambitious to be in that seat right now and not so focussed on the noise around, but more to make it work.”

He was further asked why he wasn’t able to make his championship bid stick, adding that he will be crossing his fingers for Hamilton’s attempt this year.

“For me it didn’t quite work because Lewis was there so let’s see now how he will get on. But, yeah, my fingers [are] crossed. I obviously raced him a long time, we get along really well, and he’s by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute, his on-track skills don’t need to be repeated.

“I think the numbers, statistics speak for themselves but it’s great to see he’s still on the grid and still has that influence and he uses it in a positive manner. So naturally my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship, but also Charles is there, I raced with him.

“I think it’s a strong line up and in the end it takes a lot of things to come together to be there in the last couple of races to fight for the championship. We will see. It will be close, but I’m definitely not ruling anybody out.”

With the 2026 regulations bringing substantial changes to the cars, Hamilton will have as good a chance as any to fight for the championship as each begins their development cycle once again. But before that, 2025 could be a tight and exciting season.