Lewis Hamilton is simply weeks away from making his official debut as a Ferrari driver at the Australian Grand Prix, a second that has been over a 12 months within the making since he introduced his shock departure from Mercedes forward of the 2024 season. Ferrari finds itself within the strongest place it has been in for a while, with a real probability at difficult for the drivers’ championship this season.
For the primary time in years, the Scuderia boasts a star-studded lineup, with Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, becoming a member of forces with the gifted Charles Leclerc, a two-time Italian Grand Prix winner. This pairing has generated immense pleasure amongst Ferrari followers, because the staff seems to capitalize on their strengthened roster.
Nonetheless, Anthony Davidson has cautioned Hamilton concerning the problem that lies forward as he adapts to Ferrari’s energy unit, marking the primary time in his illustrious 18-year Formulation 1 profession that he is not going to be behind the wheel of a Mercedes-powered automotive. The British driver might want to regulate to the distinctive traits of Ferrari’s engine, together with its drivability and energy supply, which is able to undoubtedly be a big change for Hamilton.
As Hamilton will get to grips together with his new staff and automotive, it’s going to take a while earlier than he’s totally able to competing on the entrance of the pack constantly. Eddie Jordan has already suggested the Monegasque to capitalize on the early a part of the season to construct a bonus over Hamilton in what is predicted to be a tricky 24-race marketing campaign. The pair will first expertise the SF-25 on the Fiorano circuit on February 19, simply sooner or later after the F175 stay present in London’s O2 Enviornment, which is able to mark Ferrari’s official launch occasion for the brand new automotive.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the British driver’s arrival on the Maranello staff has led the staff to shift their focus, and that the precedence might now not be totally on Charles Leclerc. The previous Williams driver means that the staff’s technique and method might now be tailor-made round Lewis Hamilton’s strengths and expertise, probably altering the dynamic inside the staff as they put together for the challenges of the 2025 season.
Juan Pablo Montoya advised that the state of affairs at Ferrari might grow to be considerably awkward, given how every thing would unfold. The Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formulation One from 2001 to 2006, identified that the staff had all the time prioritized Charles’ success, however now they’d be focusing closely on guaranteeing Lewis performs nicely. He additionally expressed the view that it wouldn’t make sense for Ferrari to rent Lewis Hamilton, conduct checks, after which focus extra on Charles’ wants than on what the staff really requires.
Throughout Ferrari’s Pirelli tyre take a look at at Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc resumed motion after Hamilton’s crash earlier within the session. Each drivers gathered worthwhile knowledge on Pirelli’s 2026 tyres, contributing to the staff’s preparations for the upcoming season.
McLaren additionally participated within the testing, with Lando Norris taking to the monitor in an older automotive. Norris accomplished a formidable 159 laps, setting a benchmark that was greater than seven-tenths sooner than the perfect instances set by Hamilton and Leclerc. Nonetheless, the context behind these lap instances is essential, because the testing circumstances and different variables might have performed a big position.
What stood out extra was the slight benefit Hamilton had over Leclerc, managing to set a time simply over one-tenth faster regardless of each drivers finishing almost the identical variety of laps (87 for Lewis Hamilton and 86 for Charles Leclerc). This final result is a promising indicator as Ferrari seems forward to the pre-season take a look at in Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit, which is simply two weeks away. The staff is raring to make a powerful begin with their revamped automotive, which has undergone important adjustments over the winter break.
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