It’s most likely lower than a month earlier than Lewis Hamilton’s debut in a Ferrari F1 (which ought to happen behind the wheel of a 2022 F1-75), however his presence is already the primary subject. Throughout this week’s media assembly at Maranello, the subject of ‘Lewis’ was extensively mentioned, rising in most of the factors touched upon.
It may hardly be in any other case; the debut of probably the most profitable driver in Components 1 historical past behind the wheel of a Ferrari is destined to remain within the highlight for a very long time. After the 2024 season, Frederic Vasseur additionally broke the embargo on the Lewis Hamilton subject, which had been in place since February 1, the day his signing was introduced.
“It wasn’t troublesome to persuade Lewis in regards to the validity of the Ferrari possibility for his future,” defined Frederic Vasseur, as reported by the BBC. “In 2023 we received extra races than Mercedes, so it wasn’t difficult to persuade him that he would discover a good mission at Ferrari. I consider he had in thoughts to drive for Ferrari for no less than 20 years. I keep in mind we have been already speaking about it in 2004 (when Hamilton was approached by Frederic Vasseur to hitch his F3 staff), however generally it’s additionally a matter of coincidences or aligning the planets. It simply so occurred that he was in the marketplace and Ferrari had a seat out there to supply him. We began discussing it a yr in the past, and it wasn’t arduous to persuade him.” – the French supervisor identified.
At Ferrari, there are not any doubts about Hamilton’s kind, and the ultimate stability of the 2024 season (wherein he completed the championship behind teammate George Russell) doesn’t elevate issues.
“I don’t need to level fingers at Lewis or Mercedes,” defined Frederic Vasseur. “However I’m satisfied that the state of affairs they discovered themselves in wasn’t straightforward to handle. I consider (Lewis) wasn’t in good psychological form, it was fairly evident in Brazil, however within the final two races, he carried out very properly, and I’m not in any respect apprehensive about it.”
There isn’t any signal of concern relating to the connection between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both. “They’ve an enormous mutual respect,” confirmed Frederic Vasseur. “They know one another properly and have been speaking for months. Additionally, I add, it’s a lot better to battle for first and second place than for nineteenth and twentieth. What I imply is that it’s signal for a staff to have these sorts of discussions.”
Beginning in early January, Lewis Hamilton will face a rigorous schedule to settle in forward of the primary official checks in Bahrain. The checks with the 2022 automotive (not but formally confirmed by Ferrari) will serve to familiarize him with the staff and dealing procedures.
“It received’t be straightforward,” concluded Fred Vasseur. “However Lewis is actually not a newbie; he comes with a wealth of expertise, and I’m not in any respect apprehensive about that. Within the Bahrain checks, he should take up many issues, however we now have the benefit of with the ability to work on the simulator, the place he can attempt each race simulations and qualifying simulations and be well-prepared for managing the controls on the steering wheel. I don’t suppose this would be the largest problem we face.”
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