Lewis Hamilton was named the exclusive cover hero for the EA Sports F1 25 Iconic Edition after his maiden triumph with Ferrari in the bittersweet Chinese Grand Prix last weekend, when he won the Sprint Race while showcasing his exceptional tire management.
Despite being a record-breaker, Hamilton continues to pursue career milestones yet to be achieved. Fans may be surprised to hear that the seven-time world champion has never before been featured on one of the series' covers by himself. His momentous transfer to Ferrari, which united one of the best drivers in history with the most legendary team in Formula One, is undoubtedly deserving of the title of "Iconic."
The 105-time Grand Prix champion has been featured nearly constantly since F1 2015 alongside other drivers at his side, but never having made an appearance alone on the franchise's covers.
One of the main storylines of the 2024 season was Hamilton's transfer to Maranello, which also marked the beginning of an exciting year for drivers' markets that saw significant movement across the majority of teams.
During the most recent race weekend in China, he demonstrated improvement following a challenging start at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, where he concluded the event in 10th position.
The British driver showcased exceptional pace during sprint qualifying, securing the fastest time. Demonstrating his signature tire management expertise, he maintained a comfortable lead over Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen to claim his maiden Formula 1 Sprint Race victory. This triumph also marked Ferrari's first-ever win in an F1 Sprint Race.
The otherwise pleasant weekend ended bitterly when Hamilton was disqualified for his car's high skid wear, even though he finished sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix, which would have been a significant improvement over the finish in Melbourne. Paradoxically, this resulted in yet another historic first for the Scuderia, this time unintended: both of its drivers were disqualified on the same race weekend.
The series' Deluxe Editions, known as Champion's Editions in subsequent years, honored the champion of the preceding season, providing EA Sports ambassador Max Verstappen with a stable platform to excel on. Hamilton wearing rosso corsa had such an impact that the publisher chose to disregard emerging custom, capturing the excitement of his team change and echoing its significance in the sport and among global fans.
In order to make the cover's concept of pride, prestige, and enthusiasm come to life, Hamilton actively collaborated with photographer Campbell Addy, whom he had known from a prior magazine session. As can be seen from the selected image, he personally preferred sitting and walking positions for the picture.