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Jacky Ickx believes Lewis Hamilton remains a contender for the 2025 world championship and has described the prospect of a title battle between the 41-year-old Ferrari driver and Mercedes' 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli as the "most beautiful scenario" imaginable. The former Ferrari driver told La Gazzetta dello Sport he is delighted to see Hamilton competitive again after last season's difficult debut year with the Scuderia, calling the age gap between the sport's oldest and youngest front-runners an "incredible" storyline.
Hamilton endured his worst Formula 1 season in 2024, failing to reach the podium for the first time in his career as Ferrari struggled to find consistent form. The seven-time world champion has reversed that trajectory in 2025, winning the Barcelona Grand Prix and recently overtaking George Russell in the championship standings, though recent rounds have proven challenging for the British driver.
Ickx, who drove for Ferrari between 1970 and 1973, winning six races and claiming 11 pole positions across 55 starts, praised team principal Fred Vasseur for creating the conditions necessary for a championship challenge. "I have always thought that Vasseur needed confidence to build a winning project," the Belgian said. "It is fantastic to see that it is going well, and I have the feeling that there is now a family atmosphere in the team, just like the unity we had when I drove for Ferrari."
Ferrari's resurgence under Vasseur
Ferrari has shown marked improvement this season compared to 2024, though the Maranello outfit has not yet reached the consistency its leadership demands. Vasseur, in his third season as team principal, has overseen a cultural shift within the organisation that Ickx believes mirrors the environment during his own tenure in the early 1970s. The 80-year-old suggested that internal cohesion, rather than pure performance gains, may be the foundation of Ferrari's revival.
Hamilton's return to competitiveness has been one of the season's defining narratives. After a winless first year at Ferrari in which he failed to adapt to the SF-25's characteristics, the Briton has shown flashes of the form that secured him seven world titles. His victory in Barcelona marked his first win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and reignited speculation that an eighth championship remains within reach.
Age versus youth at the front
Ickx highlighted the generational contrast at the sharp end of the grid as a compelling subplot. "It is fantastic to see Hamilton competitive again," he said. "It is still too early to say whether he can win the F1 title, but it is already incredible to see a 41-year-old driver fighting against a 19-year-old. Who could ever have imagined such a beautiful story?" Antonelli, who replaced Russell at Mercedes for 2025, has emerged as one of the season's breakthrough performers and represents the youngest generation of drivers capable of challenging for race wins.
Hamilton's recent form has been uneven. While he sits ahead of Russell in the standings following last weekend's race, he has endured several difficult rounds that have prevented him from mounting sustained pressure on the championship leader. Ferrari's performance window has also proven narrower than anticipated, with the team struggling on certain circuit layouts despite showing race-winning pace elsewhere.
A title fight Ickx wants to see
For Ickx, a championship duel between Hamilton and Antonelli would represent the ideal conclusion to the 2025 season. The pairing would frame the sport's past and future in direct competition, with Hamilton chasing a record-breaking eighth title while Antonelli seeks to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. Whether Ferrari can provide Hamilton with the machinery to sustain that challenge over the remaining races remains the decisive question. Vasseur's project has restored competitiveness, but converting that into a title bid will require consistency Ferrari has not yet demonstrated across a full campaign.
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