Marco Wutz
Following his first success with Ferrari at last weekend’s bittersweet Chinese Grand Prix, where he won the Sprint Race while displaying masterful tire management, Lewis Hamilton has been announced as the sole cover star for the EA Sports F1 25 Iconic Edition.
It may come as a surprise for fans to learn that the man with seven world championships under his belt has never before taken the spotlight on one of the series’ covers all by himself — but even for a record-breaker like Hamilton, there are still career firsts to be achieved. His historic move to Ferrari, which brought together F1’s most fabled team and one of the sport’s greatest drivers of all time, certainly deserves ‘Iconic’ status.
“Moving to Scuderia Ferrari HP is such an exciting new chapter of my career, and it feels incredible to have this moment represented on the EA Sports F1 25 Iconic Edition cover,” Hamilton stated. “I’m so energized and hungry for this next part of my Formula One story and love that racing fans and players get to experience that with me through the game.”
Though he has not appeared solo on the franchise’s covers before, the 105-time Grand Prix victor has been featured almost consistently since F1 2015 with other drivers by his side.
Hamilton’s move to Maranello was one of the biggest stories of the 2024 season and kicked off a thrilling year on the drivers’ market, which saw substantial movement across most teams. After a rocky start in red during the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, where he finished 10th, things started to turn around at the most recent race weekend in China. Managing to be quickest during sprint qualifying, the British driver scored his — and Ferrari’s — first-ever F1 Sprint Race victory by showcasing some of his vintage tire management skills to keep Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen at a comfortable distance.
Hamilton crossed the line at the Chinese Grand Prix in sixth place, which would have been a marked improvement over the finish in Melbourne, but ended up being disqualified due to his car’s excessive skid wear, ending the otherwise sweet weekend on a very bitter note. Ironically, this achieved yet another — this time unwanted — historic first for the Scuderia, namely having both of its drivers disqualified at the same race weekend.
In recent years, the Deluxe Editions of the series were called Champion’s Editions and celebrated the previous season’s championship winner, giving EA Sports ambassador Max Verstappen a steady stage on which to shine. It’s a testament to the impact of Hamilton donning rosso corsa that the publisher let the budding tradition fall by the wayside in favor of “capturing the excitement surrounding his team change, echoing the emotion and significance this moment has in the sport and among fans around the world.”
Hamilton was very active in working with photographer Campbell Addy — known to him from a previous magazine shoot — by providing feedback and ideas on how to bring the cover’s theme of pride, prestige, and excitement to life. He personally favored walking and seated poses for the photo — a view that prevailed, as is evident from the chosen image.
More details on the upcoming EA Sports F1 25 will be revealed soon.
